Cinders
by Kurogane7
Summary: The flames of a new Age of Fire shall be lit. Will Uzumaki Naruto become greater than past Lords of Cinder? Or will he form the basis of a new Soul of Cinder? Dark Souls Naruto, possible Naruto/harem. Rated T for now.
1. The Kiln

_**A/N: And this is the pilot episode for the long-awaited Dark Souls/Naruto Cross. Rather short, but what did you expect from a pilot episode.**_

 _ **By the way, I apologize for any additional delay on any chapters ("God of Fertility" being an exception, because I'm only the publisher and an editor of that story). As of this chapter, my grandpa just passed a couple weeks ago, and this week is gonna be pretty busy. Today will have the cremation, tomorrow is the actual burial. The rest of the week is likely mostly catching up with the rest of my family.**_

 _ **I suppose this chapter being submitted pretty early is in his memory.**_

 _ **Anyway, your reviews will determine if this is worth going past the pilot episode stage, so do read and review, would you kindly?**_

…

[Unknown Location]

The landscape was covered in a sheet of gray as the winds howled in the distance. There were burned and molten buildings everywhere…scratch that, odd-looking burned buildings, some of which with spikes everywhere. Something sincerely felt wrong about the place, as Naruto gazed at the barren expanse, curious as to where he was. For some reason, the place felt -for lack of a better word- dead to him. Not the least of which being the large tower dominating the view, surrounded by broken pillars.

It looked like a snowy scene, given the amount of whitish gray that dominated the landscape. Oddly enough, the air was quite warm around here, which made Naruto wonder as to what he was standing in. He reached to the ground, and found that the texture of the substance was dry and slightly warm…like some kind of dust, or perhaps ash.

Still, the curiosity got the better of him as he walked through the ash-covered lands, watching as his path seemed to ascend the closer he got to the tower. More than once, Naruto dove for cover when he thought he'd seen tall men in heavy, black metal armor, brandishing big-ass swords and oversized shields while patrolling the grounds. Why those things ignored him, he had no idea; just that they were imposing figures with their comically upscaled swords complementing the demonic appearance of their horned helmets. They didn't even bother _looking_ for him when he tried to hide from their sight at the last moment.

Feeling confident that they were likely ignoring him, Naruto stopped hiding and continued calmly, but cautiously. As he passed by one of them, he could almost feel their eyes on him from their helmets as they continued patrolling the area. Oddly enough, there didn't seem to be any malice in their staring; or much of anything at all. _Strange, it's like they_ want _me to go up there._

With the army of 'horn heads' behind him, Naruto found himself looking at a flight of stairs covered in ash. It was wide enough that there were more men in black armor and horned helmets standing in silent vigil along the way. None of them moved like their comrades behind him, but they were no less imposing with their ridiculously massive weapons. And unlike the patrollers down below, there was a wider variety in wargear between these warriors. Some wielded massive swords way larger than what anyone could use; others wielded what looked like an ancient naginata with a broader blade and a spike behind; there were also those that wielded double-bladed battle-axes with very big heads.

Why none of these dark warriors responded to him, he had no idea. And he just _knew_ they saw him, because was a very strange feeling that they were watching him for some reason. Still, curiosity overrode whatever trepidation Naruto felt as he ascended the steps. Something about this place seemed to call out to him; beckoning him to explore the domain, straightforward as it seemed. There was only one way through this, and it was up the stairs.

The view that greeted him at the top…he had no words to describe it. There were a variety of weapons planted in a field of flowers. Mighty swords that called for the only the finest of warriors to use them; mountainous axes that could cleave a giant in twain; heavy hammers capable of smashing down walls and doors with equal ease; even long, ancient, ornate sticks, some of which with expensive-looking crystals at the top. And those were the more noticeable ones. Each weapon stood upright, as though each of them were a headstone for owners that were long dead in a graveyard of warriors.

To Naruto, it truly did look like a graveyard; every weapon in the ground was worn by time and battle, silently telling the tale of their owners. Hokage-jiji had told him that places like these demanded a lot of respect for the warriors that died. He was about to praying for the souls that these weapons belonged to when he noted something else in the distance. There was someone sitting on a rock in front of what looked like a sputtering campfire; they were dressed in such a way as to obscure their identity from a distance, the hooded robe making it hard to discern any features as it billowed in the ash-laden breeze.

As though they'd already noticed him, the figure turned to face Naruto. All he could see was the lower half of the stranger's face, as well as two trails of orange that spilled out from the hood; The rest was obscured in its shadows. There was nothing said, but he had a feeling that the person had just invited him to sit with them as they turned their attention back to the fire. _Probably very lonely._

With his curiosity strengthened, Naruto walked closer. He'd wondered exactly what was going on in this dream he was having. One moment, he was in bed after dinner with the Ichiraku family after having saved two girls from bullies, the next he found himself in this strange, burnt-down place. As he closed in on the stranger, their identity was made even clearer. The shape underneath the robe was undeniably feminine; given what Naruto had taught himself about the female body, her curves were perfect enough to make her a pinup model at least…possibly even a centerfold. Under the armor and cloth, he could spot a modest bust to fit an athletic build.

She sat in front of a bonfire with a sword stuck into it a pile of ash. It had a double-edged blade that twisted and glowed as it tapered towards the tip, with a cruciform guard and a grip long enough to accommodate a two-handed grip. At the bottom of the grip was a ring pommel that gave the hint that it was made from a single piece of metal, giving him the impression of a glorified fire poker.

"You have questions," the woman noted, her attention still on the bonfire as Naruto took a seat next to her, "I can tell from the way you look at me that you have many of them. Don't be afraid to ask; but keep in mind that you won't be here for long."

There were quite a few questions on Naruto's mind, but only one stood out: "What is this place?"

"We are in your mind," she answered, "why such a sad place is in your heart, I have no idea; just that sometimes this mindscape exists, and I was placed here."

"Who are you?"

"One whose duty it is to ensure the flame of this place does not die out," explained the woman, "I suppose you can call me the Fire Keeper here. In ages past, the fire of the First Flame required the sacrifice of a chosen soul to make sure there was still hope in the world by linking the fire; even if it was for a little longer. Starting with Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, the 'Age of Fire' would drive away the Dark for a time. Now? This place resides in your soul…I don't know why."

Naruto was not satisfied with his answer, but it would suffice. His attention was immediately turned to the massive blade dug into the bonfire. He wasn't as big a weapons nut like Tenten, but even he thought the thing looked too ceremonial to be a practical weapon. "What's that thing?"

The 'Fire Keeper' smiled lightly. "That, I _can_ tell you. The Firelink Sword was a weapon used by a great warrior made of the souls of all the people who linked the fire, prolonging their respective Ages of Fire. Because this warrior had so many souls in them, he could use their skills to the fullest. Praying to the gods to heal himself, breathing a toxic mist, as well as knowledge to use whatever weapon was on hand. Whatever weapon that warrior felt like wielding, be it a sword or a spear, the Firelink Sword would transform to fit that style. You wouldn't be able to wield it as you are now."

"Why's it in the fire?"

"At one point, it was part of a magic spell that would not only heal and protect against the Dark, it could also take you places. So long as there was a magic bonfire you lit up in that area, you could go there in an instant from any bonfire. Now it looks like it's here simply to heal and protect you. Do not ask me why; I've yet to learn the reason myself."

Naruto decided to leave it at that; he was not going to stay here too long. "So what happens now?"

"Now? You no longer have any time," the Fire Keeper said matter-of-factly, "However, before you leave, I suppose it's only fitting that I give you a welcoming gift for even coming here." She stood up and walked in front of Naruto. There was a regal swagger in her walk, almost demanding him to show her respect as befitting of a Daimyō or something. "Get down on one knee before me."

Were it not for his curiosity, Naruto would have undoubtedly told her where to shove that order. Still, he brought himself down to one knee. Something told him that bowing his head was also a good idea. As he waited for the Fire-Keeper to do her thing, Naruto felt fingers gently placed on the back of his head. "Embrace the gift."

Before he could ponder what she meant, Naruto felt his head throb. Images began to flood his vision: mighty weapons slashing, piercing, and even smashing foes; a purple miasma obstructing vision while choking the life out of any fool that wandered through it; a large sword made of pure energy, passing through anyone that came to close; a miraculous golden light that had the power to heal all wounds with a prayer. Each vision seemed to belong to a different person, telling him many tales of how they all lived and died.

Through it all, the most prominent thing he had seen were images of a large, bearded old man, staring sadly at him. The musculature that Naruto could see under fine clothing from a different land had told him that this man was not to be trifled with. He reminded him a lot of Hokage-jiji, in that he looked like he _earned_ that crown on his head through years of blood, sweat, and tears; and was still more than strong enough to keep it there. Come to think of it, he was so big and strong that he wouldn't have any trouble beating down the old Hokage.

In the old man's hands was a flame that gently burned in the space between his palms. Naruto could not help but feel bad for the man; the sad look on his face tugged at his heart. He reached out, about to touch the flame when he was returned back to the graveyard, with the Fire Keeper in front of him. "Use the power granted to you wisely," she said, "when you are ready to learn more, just dream of this place…of the Kiln of the First Flame. You can always find me here."

Naruto wondered what she meant. A glance at his hands revealed that he was starting to fade away. Any words he would have uttered were cut off as he disappeared into nothingness.

The Fire Keeper looked wistfully into the distance. "Father, it seems there is much potential in him. Only time will tell if he carries the will of the first Lord of Cinder to make it all right again…or if he shall merely be the core of the next Soul of Cinder."

A gentle smile graced her features as another thought had occurred to her. "Either way, I am certain that with such promise in him. Whether he will usher in a new Age of Fire, or the Age of Darkness it would be interesting to see where his choices will take him…"

…

 _ **A/N: And here we have it, the first chapter of "Cinders".**_

 _ **There is a poll going on for what starting class Naruto will be. To be honest, I believe Naruto would be an appalling assassin (the class better fits Sasuke), which is why I challenge you voters to pick a different class aside from Assassin for Naruto's starting class.**_

 _ **Anyway, do review would you kindly?**_


	2. Fire

_**A/N: New chapter of Cinder's up. Now a word before we begin: to those of you asking about the next chapter to "God of Fertility," I will make it clear to you once and for all before you spam me with questions about it (which I shall post on my account):**_

 _ **I am NOT the author of "God of Fertility"…I am merely one of its EDITORS and its PUBLISHER. If you have any concerns about the upcoming chapters, please take them up with NorthSouthGorem and his higher-class of smutty mind. He's the one who wrote it in the first place, and asked me to post it on his behalf for fear of it being taken down due to the smut level and potentially losing his account in the process. You can keep reviewing on it, just stop spamming my reviews and messages with questions about it on unrelated stories.**_

 _ **Other than that, do read and review, would you kindly? And keep it classy.**_

…

[612 Jūji Terrace, Apartment 410, Konohagakure no Sato]

Naruto woke up with a gasp.

He massaged the bridge of his nose as he recalled the dream last night: a place that was burnt to the ground; a soldier's graveyard; a hooded woman keeping watch over a special campfire. It was weird, but it took the cake due to the possibility of having it again. Still, the idea of learning something new was too much to resist.

A glance at the clock filled Naruto with no small modicum of fear. It showed that the time was 7:45 in the morning. "Aw man! I forgot to set my alarm! Now I'm freaking late for class!"

No time for breakfast, not when the first day of class began at 8:00. Naruto changed out of his sleepwear and into his infamous orange tracksuit, grabbing a large pineapple bun from yesterday and chewing on it as he ran out the window. Not even a second to savor the buttery goodness in his mouth. All this in the span of two minutes.

Thus far, only two things were in his favor for the first day. The first was that the academy was a reasonable walk away. If one had the stamina, they could run all the way home, making what would normally be a 30-minute walk into a 20-minute jog. A good sprint could bring that time down to 15 minutes on an average day.

The other saving grace that would make him even less late was that he had recently picked up on the tree-hopping technique, which cut down his commute even further. For a technique he'd only started imitating while watching shinobi and kunoichi about a month ago, he was already at point where he could probably get to class in under 18 minutes. He'd put the technique into serious practice before, but Naruto was already late, and he didn't want to make his situation any worse than it already was.

Every leap through the buildings shaved another minute off his time as he ran on the whatever surface he could find in order to build up more momentum for his next jump. It was taxing on his legs, being especially painful on his knees, but at least he was moving faster. _Ah to hell with it, at least I won't be late._

With the academy in sight, Naruto began to pick up more speed. The next running start pushed him even harder, allowing him to run much faster as he built up more momentum. He vaulted over the edge of the building, his whole body compacted into a small spring before his legs propelled him into the ground at high speed. As he neared the ground, he shifted his weight in order to break his fall…

…

[Konoha Ninja Academy]

It seemed like a very routine day for Umino Iruka as he began to take roll.

Mizuki seemed to be at ease, waiting for the students to calm down, turning quite a few students' heads in the process. However he could not hope to achieve the number of fans that Uchiha Sasuke and Hyūga Nami managed to get. Those two did not appreciate the attention they got from the opposite sex.

Nami, he could see why; she was too busy glaring daggers at her twin cousins Hinata and Hanabi to notice any of the boys that had their eyes on her. The malice that her gaze seemed to exude made her look like a vicious viper or a deadly centipede, mesmerizing prey before striking at high speed. She may not have venomous fangs, but she was capable of letting out some deadly words with that poisonous mouth of hers. Once, Iruka had watched her being mugged when she was younger; the second her mouth opened to speak, the mugger was reduced to a crying mess that wound up in the psych ward in jail. Not once during that incident did the girl flinch.

Sasuke seemed to be brooding about something, ignoring his fangirls in favor of looking out the window. He had no idea whether it was because of the Uchiha Massacre, or if it was the fact that his elder sister Kaori was an instructor in class. The Uchiha heir did not even honor the hormonal girls with a look, which only succeeded in drawing them closer to him.

Speaking of the new instructor (who was helping Mizuki take roll), Uchiha Kaori was a scary girl with a regal aura that demanded respect. It wasn't that she was ugly -she was drop-dead gorgeous!- it's just that Iruka could feel a blizzard in the room every time he even glanced in her direction. Black, disheveled hair was held up in a bun with ornate chopsticks before cascading down to her waist in four braids, while it covered up the upper-right corner of her face. She was dressed professionally, which meant a finely-tailored business kimono over her naturally pale skin. Small rectangular glasses framed onyx eyes and emphasized her intelligence. And to add further contrast to her skin, she had a small mole on the lower right corner of her face midway between her lip and her jawline.

Going back to the roll call, Akimichi Choji was stuffing his face with a bag of chips as his friend Nara Shikamaru dozed off. Their friend Yamanaka Ino was among the girls trying -and failing- to buddy up to Kaori in hopes of getting easier access to Sasuke's heart. Despite their differences, the current generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio still remained close friends. Iruka had noted that the three of them were quick to come to the defense of each other: Choji scared off Ami and her flunkies from getting their revenge, while Shikamaru humiliated some bullies for making fun of Choji.

The next batch of heirs that Iruka added to his list included Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kira, both of whom were longtime friends of the Hyūga twins. The former was a friend due to his association with Hinata, the older twin; the latter was a little closer with the younger. Shino's family was known to have a special bond with the kikaichu insects that live within their bodies. Outside of combat however, their kikaichu bugs were known for making very fine honey for a variety of delectable treats. Kira's family on the other hand, owned a veterinary clinic…but staying true to the clan's roots, they were exceptional hunters that never failed to bring the best game of the season to restaurant owners within the village.

As to Hinata and Hanabi themselves, they were both very close for twins. Hinata was reportedly the older of the twins, if one considered the matter of ten minutes; but as expected of twins, she was very close with Hanabi. The two of them loved and supported each other, as well as completing each other: Hanabi gave her normally shy elder sister a backbone to help stick up for herself, while Hinata made sure to rein in her younger sister's flaring temper. To further distinguish the sisters, Hanabi always wore her hair shoulder-length, while Hinata opted for more of a bob-cut.

Rock Lee tied a hachimaki around his head, with the words 'study hard' written all over it. Not that he had a problem with his attitude, but Iruka found that he was too loud for his tastes. As much as he respected Maito Gai as a shinobi, he hoped that Lee would not pick up on the man's tendencies. Still, he could not accuse the boy for a lack of enthusiasm; that hot-blooded attitude would probably serve him well in the future.

Sitting next to Lee was Tenten; a girl with her hair tied up in two buns that was reading a weapons catalogue. Given that she had aspirations for being a weapons-mistress, as well as a master bladesmith, it was not a surprise to Iruka. As far as he knew, the best person that would teach her the ways of the former would very likely be Gai…assuming of course, Hayate felt up to the task in teaching her in the basics.

Making a more direct attempt at earning Sasuke's affections was Haruno Sakura. The pinkette seemed to be the studious type, as her big forehead suggested. If she were to drop her fangirl tendencies, she could do a whole lot more. He would have to see what she was truly capable of in class…if she would be all theory, or if she would put said theory into practice.

After going through more students, Iruka was about to call out another…

*BANG!*

The doors crashed open, as an orange blur smashed them apart as he rolled in. _Speak of the devil, and he doth appear._ Iruka thought wryly. "Uzumaki Naruto, I presume?"

"Sorry I'm late, forgot to set my alarm."

"And this, my students, is why you should prepare everything the night before." Iruka announced to the student body, earning a number of giggles at Naruto's expense, "I'll forget about it this time since this is your first day, but we enforce a three strikes rule in the academy. If you're late three times in the same year, we kick you out and never let you back in. If you make us do that, you will _never_ become a shinobi. Are we understood?"

Naruto gulped, and nodded in understanding before sending him to his seat. From what Iruka knew about Uzumaki, he had lofty ambitions to become Hokage, so he had nothing to worry about in regards to loyalty. Still, a student was a student, regardless of how people saw him…and Iruka would reserve his judgment for the Jinchūriki when he got to know him better…

…

[One hour later]

As Iruka stepped down from the podium, Kaori heaved a relieved sigh. She had nothing against the man; in fact, she appreciated the spirit he showed when he discussed the history of the village. It also helped his case that he was actually a very nice guy. However, in her eyes, those were his _only_ saving graces; for someone who had a lot of enthusiasm on his subject, he was painfully slow on the delivery. _I swear, I'd much rather kill myself than to sit through another hour of his so-called 'teaching.'_

Thankfully, Mizuki took the stage, giving her a very legitimate target to brutally murder in her mind. The man was very good at teaching students reading and mathematics, being a very kind and understanding person. But Kaori was neither fooled nor impressed; she knew it was all an act—the man had nothing in his heart but greed and malice. The _only_ reason he still lived was because she had no proof he had any intentions for foul play yet. _What a Tsubaki sees in a pretentious bastard like you, I'll never know._

The main priority to her however, was the Jinchūriki that was having trouble staying awake…even though Mizuki was considered the easiest teacher among them. While she didn't particularly enjoy his wasting of time and money, Kaori could understand where Uzumaki Naruto was coming from. _That, and I honestly don't want to be here too_.

She survived the Uchiha Massacre simply by being out of town on a mission where she 'borrowed' the kimono she was wearing for today. Kaori was not exactly close to Sasuke, which was especially true considering her asshole of a father turned him against her from birth. Still, since he was family, he was allowed to move into her apartment until he could stand on his own two feet. Unfortunately, their relationship remained as rocky as ever, with Sasuke practically demanding she teach him her secrets. _Yeah, I hope you're rotting for that, dad._

Kaori supposed that a big reason she was pulled off active ANBU duty was likely due to politics; the Sandaime Hokage was likely pressured to have an actual Uchiha mentoring her bratty little brother. The other was due to the idea that she could potentially bend Naruto to her will. Either way, it was likely that a certain power-hungry elder was involved in her suspension from active duty.

Another reason may have sincerely been the Hokage's concern for her wellbeing. Kaori had been taking a lot of suicidal missions to take care of both herself and Sasuke. And in an attempt to help her reconcile with her brother, she was given a teaching position in hopes of making that he grew up right. To that end, she was given a position as a chakra studies teacher to potentially bond with him better…while giving students a primer on Jutsu. All in all, it was supposedly a win-win. _That assumes I win anything…_

Heaving another sigh, Kaori decided to recount her blessings; while she was likely to be bored as hell, at least she'd be compensated for her boredom. That, and she'd have a chance to reconnect with Sasuke, difficult as the odds were for that to happen. Then there was also the idea that she'd have some time off from the riskier missions. _Yeah, all the advantages a girl could want…_

…

(Naruto)

"…so, here's how we solve exponents: we multiply a number by itself according to the smaller number up here…"

If there was one thing Naruto learned, it was that he _really_ hated classwork. As he yawned, he didn't understand how learning about the past Hokage had anything to do with being an awesome shinobi. As a matter of fact, how was reading and math supposed to be awesome? _No offense Iruka-sensei, but at least Mizuki-sensei makes it way easier to learn stuff._

As he put his hand down, Naruto noted something so strange that he could not even say a word. His hand was on fire! His! Freaking! Hand! Was! On! Fire!

And strangely enough, it didn't seem to hurt. Naruto looked around, and saw that quite a few students were too busy paying attention to Mizuki-sensei to notice that his hand was on fire. As he looked on into the dancing flames in fascination, something about this fire seemed familiar to him as it burned harmlessly on his hand. He waved his hand experimentally, watching as the flames still danced on it, embers fluttering in the air.

In his mind, he saw a tall figure in intricate robes with features hidden by a hood. She (for the perfect curves under the robes betrayed her gender) stood in a sea of smaller figures in simpler hooded robes, holding what looked like flames in her hands. He could hear whispered chanting in the sea of people, with the giantess chanting the loudest. Judging by the voices he was hearing, at least the majority of everyone in the congregation were women.

The whispers were unintelligible, as if everyone was speaking in a dead language. Naruto watched as every woman in the crowd created a flame in their own hands before they did a variety of things with the fire. Some created fireflies from the sparks, fluttering away from the dying flame. Others shaped the flames into serpentine ropes that whipped around wildly.

As he returned to reality, Naruto could not help but be amazed by what he saw. What the women were doing with their flames inspired him to try it out for himself. With a few experimental flicks of his wrist, he tried to will the flames to turn into something cool—like a dragon to show up Sasuke, and maybe get Sakura's attention.

After a few unsuccessful flicks of his burning hand, Naruto became frustrated as nothing happened. _C'mon, fire! Do something cool!_

As his anger and impatience reached its peak, Naruto noted that the flame was starting to burn more aggressively. The way it brightened faster caused him to move his hand away. He yelped in surprise as an explosion of flames burst from his palm, knocking him back.

Standing back up, Naruto watched as the entire class panicked. He himself was already doing the same, due to the fact he had just set his desk on fire. Kids were screaming to put it out, as the fire spread from desk to desk. Fortunately, Iruka thought quickly enough to use Doton jutsu to douse the flames with dirt.

"Is anybody hurt?" he asked, concerned for the well-being of the students. "What just happened?!"

There were no words in Naruto's mind for what just happened. He almost set the entire class on fire with this thing on his hand. It was at this point that he began to think he was going batshit insane when he saw that the flames were no longer dancing around on his hand.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Iruka asked, shaking Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Fine…" he said, still curious as to what he'd just done, "what just happened?"

"Somebody must've set off an incendiary explosive tag or something," Iruka observed, having surveying the damage, "those things are dangerous! I mean, how would anybody even get their hands on one, much less place it?"

Naruto hazarded a glance over to the center stage. There was a teacher looking up at him. And what's worse was that she just so happened to be related to a certain Uchiha he knew. _Crap! Of all the people to be looking at me, it just had to be Kaori-sensei!_

Appearance-wise, Uchiha Kaori was very easy on the eyes, but she was the scariest girl in class to approach due to how cold she was. The only person that was anywhere near as cold would be Hyūga Nami, but Naruto saw that even _she_ was intimidated by her fellow ice-queen. It was no surprise, given that being a teacher gave the Uchiha a lot of power.

One thing Naruto knew for sure was that if she saw him set the desks on fire, he'd be in big trouble. Nonetheless, he decided to focus more on the lesson as Mizuki continued explaining how to do the equation. _It's probably nothing,_ he tried to reassure himself, _she probably didn't see anything, and might not even want nothing to do with me…like usual…_

As he tried, and failed, to calm himself, Naruto found his focus more on whether or not he was caught than on the lesson. Kaori-sensei could expel him if she saw him; and if she could prove that he set that fire, then he could kiss his dream to be Hokage goodbye. _Well, at least nobody got hurt._

…

[Kiln of the First Flame]

Blindness didn't stop the Fire Keeper from watching in amusement as Uzumaki Naruto found himself going from the proverbial frying pan to the fire. She tried her best to stifle her giggling at the memories flowing into her mind as Naruto's bad day started with his being late to class…as well as feeling his worry that he'd almost set the classroom on fire. Not to mention his paranoia that the Uchiha-girl saw him accidentally casting the Combustion spell.

Truly, it was an interesting thought…that instead of a mere prison, Uzumaki Naruto's mindscape had turned out to be the legendary Kiln of the First Flame. There were many things going on in the Fire Keeper's mind, such as why it would manifest in the boy after so many generations. Never once did she believe that the Kiln ever existed; she thought it was a fairytale told by her father, about a flame that brought life to all creation, and how this place was said to be where the 'First Flame' was said to have had its first sparks. She remembered tales of the various Undead who sacrificed themselves to keep the First Flame alight, starting with Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight.

There were tales of adventure and tragedy that were connected with the Kiln of the first flame…such as the Chosen Undead choosing to link the Fire after slaying Gwyn himself. After that, came the Bearer of the Curse who succeeded King Vendrick and supposedly found a cure for the Curse of Undeath in an attempt to break the cycle. Finally, came the legendary Ashen One, who chose to claim the fire and use its power, finally breaking the cycle and choosing their own path.

What this meant for the future, the Fire Keeper had no idea; she didn't even know what the Kiln was doing as Naruto's Mindscape instead of remaining in obscurity. Though given that it was still a prison of sorts, she supposed it was an upgrade compared to the conditions of the previous Jinchūriki. Especially with the way she was bound to a giant ball in Kushina's mindscape once.

Her thoughts had come to a halt when she sensed a very familiar arrival stepping into the field of flowers. _No need to turn around; not for the blind._ "I take it you have discovered my gift?"

"What the hell did you do to me?!" Naruto all but shouted.

"I simply gave you the memories of a past life," she stated, "I had no idea that it would end up giving you a flame."

"Well get it off me."

"That is something I cannot do," sighed the Fire Keeper, "it seems the flame is permanently attached to you."

Naruto was taken aback by her refusal, until his realization. "What do you mean 'permanently attached' to me?"

"Just as I've said, the flame is a part of you; it's a manifestation of your own soul," explained the Fire Keeper, "taking it out of you is like taking your soul…which equates to killing you. And unlike a normal death you can't be born again as a fox, and not as another person: when you lose your soul, you're dead for good."

Naruto sighed in resignation. "Well can you at least tell me how to use it?"

"I can't tell you much about the flame, because it's up to the owner to understand it," answered the Fire Keeper, "but what I _can_ tell you is that to have control over the art of pyromancy, the art of manipulating your flame, requires an understanding of yourself…what you really are in the dark."

"The hell are you talking about?"

The Fire Keeper flashed a mysterious half-smile to him. "That would be telling, now wouldn't it? Besides, only you can answer that question. Who you really _are_ as a person will show when you're in deep trouble…not that you have the time to do so now."

With words on the tip of his tongue to counter, Naruto was about to say something when he'd just realized something: she was right. He was starting to fade away. Any words he would have uttered were cut off in an instant. "Don't worry, you'll learn in due time who you really are."

…

[Naruto's Apartment]

The morning rays found their way to his eyes, rousing Naruto from his slumber. He could not help but feel frustration at his inability to get anything from the 'Fire Keeper' about the flame. It was already a major hassle trying to dream of the Kiln in the first place…he wasn't very good at keeping his mind on one thing. This meant that for the first hour or two into his sleep, he dreamed of nothing. _Damn it! I am seriously gonna have to find an easier way into the Kiln._

"I hope you realize how dangerous it is to play with fire," deadpanned a voice in the bedroom, "even worse considering you almost set the class on fire."

Naruto froze, terror gripping his he turned his attention to the windowsill to find someone he _really_ didn't want to see, especially in the morning. It was over; there was no doubt in his mind that Kaori-sensei saw him set the desks on fire…given what he knew of girls like Nami, she was probably very unforgiving. "You saw…?" he asked, his sentence hanging as if hoping what he'd heard wasn't true.

"Yep." she deadpanned, fixing him with a stare. He could feel the temperature dropping significantly the longer she looked at him.

That was one nail for his coffin. "Even the flame on my hand?" he asked nervously.

"Even that."

Nail number two. His main train of thought being, _might as well explain myself before I'm banned from school._

"If you don't want to be kicked out of school, you will come see me after class," she said calmly, interrupting Naruto from saying anything else, "and if I catch you sleeping again, expulsion will be the least of your worries."

Naruto was left speechless as Kaori-sensei stood at the windowsill, and hopped away. He had no idea whether it was because of the threat itself, or because of how coldly Kaori-sensei delivered it. Either way, he had no other choice; do as the ice-queen says, or never become Hokage.

Still, he was more worried about what she had planned for him after class…

…

 _ **A/N: There we go! Chapter's done…and the polls are in! The results were close between having Naruto start off as a Pyromancer, Knight, and Warrior, in that particular order. Pyromancer wins, though don't worry; there's plenty of time for Naruto to develop into his own build. He may even build into a pyro-knight…or a Soul of Cinder build if you like. Do read and review, would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_


	3. Mentor

_**A/N: And now the third chapter's up. As to what sort of build I'm looking at with Pyromancer!Naruto, it's honestly up in the air; I could even do an Archmage build (nothing but spells). Build ideas will be taken into consideration, but Pyro-Knight, a Guts-Run, and Soul of Cinder are still in my head. In any case, d** **o read and review, would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_

…

[Konoha Ninja Academy]

The students had already left a good fifteen minutes prior, leaving Naruto alone for his dreaded appointment with Kaori-sensei. After the encounter with her this morning, he was less likely to fall asleep in class.

The easiest part of the school day, however, was during phys-ed. True, Sasuke was among the better students as far as sparring went, only being beaten out by Nami. Naruto on the other hand was best at the obstacle courses, since he'd had to learn free-running to escape after a prank. That and he was getting better at using the tree-hopping technique, which made him one of the faster students.

Then came the 'chakra theory' lessons under her. The eldest of the Uchiha siblings was a bit harsher with him when she taught. She leveled a death-glare at him for saying 'cat-tra.' _Geez! I was just trying to be funny!_

He could only wonder in horror as to what it was that Kaori-sensei wanted with him. If she saw him set the desks on fire, Naruto figured she'd make him do something scary. Not that he would say it in front of her; she _was_ still sitting at the desk after all.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked with trepidation.

"Follow me," was her only reply, standing up. Naruto had a dumbfounded expression, staring with his mouth agog at how simple her words were. By the time he returned to reality, Kaori-sensei was already walking out the classroom; he felt compelled to follow her.

The two of them walked down the streets at a brisk pace, ignoring the glares and the whispered words flung their way. Still the usual topic, which was all about him…however, they also involved Kaori-sensei as well. Naruto could hear some of the words in hushed voices:

"What's that hot piece of Uchiha ass doing with a kid like that?" asked one male villager.

"Careful Tsugi, I heard she's the black sheep of the family," whispered another.

"I heard she's the Queen of all Ice Queens, though it looks like the brat's gonna get canned," snipped a woman.

"Well, at least we'll hear about what she's gonna do to him," snarked her friend.

 _Black sheep?_ Naruto thought, looking at his teacher with a disbelieving stare. _Nah, Kaori-sensei doesn't look the type._

Kaori stopped in front of a building, looking left and right for anyone that could have followed them before beckoning Naruto to follow her into an alley. The area was an enclosed space with lots of trees to hide them from sight. They both walked until they came across a clearing in the forest. The teacher suddenly paused before turning to face Naruto.

"So, you can manipulate fire?" she asked suddenly.

"I didn't know I could do that!" Naruto blurted out, trying to explain himself, "I didn't want to burn those desks and…!"

Kaori-sensei cut him off with a raised hand. "Relax. I know you didn't mean to. Although, you panicking really brightened my day…which is why I'm going to teach you how to use your flame _properly_."

Naruto watched as Kaori opened her palm. There wasn't any effort on her part as a flame began dancing on her hand. However, unlike the spectacle he'd caused yesterday, this fire was much more intense; focused even, as it snaked off her hand and formed a fireball over her palm. His eyes widened in shock, jaw hanging as he stared at his teacher. The fireball burst into a swarm of butterflies escaping a sudden explosion.

Naruto tried to find the words to voice his shock. "How…?"

"I found my flame in an old shrine when I was younger, had to teach myself how to use it," she answered simply. The butterflies reformed a large flaming ball in her hand, "It was easy to understand, coming from a clan that specializes in Katon jutsu. Because of that, they called me the Konoha no Moeru Majo."

Still speechless, Naruto could only stare in awe. This was exactly what he'd seen the women in the robes doing in his…dream. _If she can manipulate fire to this level, then I can see why she's called that._

"Don't get me wrong, your flame is impressive," Kaori continued, the flame stretching out to snake around her arm before reforming into a big fireball, "and as much as the pyromaniac in me is impressed with how strong it is, it lacks control. That's why from now on, I'm going to personally see you after school."

Tutoring from Kaori-sensei? That'd mean more work than the regular student, but at least he would get a lot of help. It was a sweet deal, but Naruto was curious. "Why are you helping me?"

Kaori sighed, putting the flames out. She beckoned him to follow her through the forest. "I know what it's like to be in your shoes…people staring, whispering behind your back. For me, it's by the rest of my family; being the second prodigy of the house really put a lot of pressure on me. People that kept telling me that I'd never be as good as my brother Itachi.

"It got worse after someone said I had 'Katon mastery'—because of that, the rest of the clan was being nice just so I could teach them. All that time, the only people I was really on good terms with were Itachi and my mother. Everyone else either just ignored me; or if they _were_ being nice, they didn't mean it. Due to this, I'm known as the black sheep in my family."

A few seconds of silence was all she needed to catch her breath. "The point I want to make, Naruto, is that we 'black sheep' have to stick together."

"What about Sasuke?"

"What about him? He's one of the people that have been cold to me," Kaori explained, "and he only got worse after the Uchiha Massacre. I even let him stay at my place and yet he still finds the nerve to be an asshole to me…outright demanding I teach him my secrets without so much as a 'please.' So I guess it's my way of thanking you for giving me a reason to get out of the house, before I barbecued him."

Naruto nodded in agreement. _I would've punched his face in myself. I mean, seriously! How can he do that to his own sister?!_

"We're here."

The place that they stopped at was a large portal at the opening of a stone cave with intricately-carved leaf-branch reliefs cut into the bands that led to the entrance. Kaori-sensei reached out her hand, the remaining sunlight revealed a stairwell gradually descending into darkness. "Your first lesson is simple: summoning your flame," she explained, summoning her flame and allowing it to intensify, "The flame is a part of you; the first time you ignite it will be a challenge. What I want you to do is to stay here and figure out how you're gonna do it."

"What're you gonna do in the meantime?" asked Naruto.

"Me? I'll see you at the bottom of the stairs," Kaori answered simply, descending the hand-carved steps. After taking a few steps down, she paused and turned to regard him with a serious glare. "And if you follow me before you're done, I'll cook you medium-rare."

As Kaori disappeared into the darkness, Naruto gulped. _Note to self:_ never _piss off Kaori-sensei._

Naruto raised his hand, trying to remember how he'd summoned the flame. "C'mon fire! No need to be afraid, I just want you to come out…" he said to himself, trying desperately to light up his hand.

After almost an hour of trying, and failing to summon the fire, Naruto collapsed to the ground in equal parts exhaustion and frustration. The first attempt he'd made to kindle the flame gave him a raw throat from growling. The second caused him to force a fart, which he was glad that nobody was around to hear. The third and most recent time becoming more desperate as he wanted to catch up with Kaori before the day's end, only to wind up getting a headache.

No matter what he did, he just could not ignite the flame. As he gazed into the dark abyss that Kaori-sensei disappeared into, Naruto could not help but feel curious as to what she was doing down there. The image of her using her flame to personally set him on fire caused him to sweat. Then again, he needed help to figure out how to do this; even a hint would point him in the right direction.

Naruto gulped at the idea, but between that and getting nowhere in the exercise, getting roasted looked better in his eyes. He steeled his nerves, and began to blindly descend the stairs; every wary step he took into the darkness made him even more scared, but he was determined to find her for a hint.

As he went deeper into the darkness, Naruto could feel his heart racing even faster. Every step made him wish he'd figured out how to turn on his flame sooner so that he wouldn't be in this situation. _The sooner I ask Kaori-sensei for help, the sooner…_

Naruto's thought process was interrupted when he saw that his hand was on fire. There was no small amount of joy and pride as he watched the flame dancing on his palm.

"If you're done celebrating up there, you might want to come down!" Kaori called from below, "We don't have all day!"

Heaving a sigh of relief, Naruto walked proudly down the newly-illuminated steps; it was a dim light, but at least he could see where he was going. As he descended further into the cave, rough-hewn limestone gradually transitioned into finely-carved marble. Kaori-sensei was waiting for him at the bottom with a torch in hand, looking down at him as soon as he made it to the bottom. "Not bad," she said, nodding in approval, "It took me a couple days to get it done. I guess scaring you really paid off."

Naruto was gobsmacked at her casual words, before he settled on irritation and finally anger. "What the hell!? Are you telling me you were joking about burning me alive?!"

"Who said I was joking?" Kaori deadpanned, before taking a deep breath. "Tell me Naruto, how did you feel up to the time you got to call up your flame? When you decided to follow me down the stairs?"

While she had softened her gaze, Naruto could tell Kaori was serious. "I was scared," he admitted, "I was afraid that you would set me on fire, just for coming to ask you for help. I was even more scared when I went down the stairs, because I didn't know what was in the dark."

"If you were that scared, what made you keep going?" asked Kaori, "Why were you so intent on coming to see me even though I said I'd burn you?"

"I dunno, I guess I really wanted to get help so badly that I didn't care you were serious." Naruto explained, scratching his head in thought, "I really wanted to learn something worthwhile, so that everybody would know I exist. And most of all, I didn't want to die down here without doing that."

Kaori grinned warmly. "At the very core of using your flame, feelings of fear and longing are very important to really get it started," she explained, guiding him through the darkness, "The more you're afraid and the more you want something badly, the faster the process becomes. For me, it was being afraid someone discovered my secret, and my thirst for knowledge; after that, it became second-nature to call on it at will."

"Can it get stronger?" Naruto asked.

"Of course it can," Kaori replied, "In my time as a kunoichi, I found that as I got smarter and more confident in myself, all my Katon jutsu got stronger; especially while using the flame. And that's why I want you to take your lessons in class more seriously from now on."

There was nothing said between them as Kaori guided them both through the darkness, until they were outdoors. Naruto took in the surroundings, and saw that they were in a small courtyard of sorts bathed in the orange rays of sunset. Grass covered most of the area, up until the ground dipped. There were a lot of stone arches scattered around a stone amphitheater that was dug into the ground. In the bottom was a large, round dais standing above the stone tiles, surrounded by a circle of columns supporting a stone ring.

"We'll be training here after school from now on," Kaori declared, leading Naruto towards the amphitheater, "We won't just train your mind, however; we're also going to work on your body. All I ask in exchange is that you say nothing of it and you've got yourself a mentor."

Naruto suddenly froze as they stopped at the bottom of the amphitheater. Planted in the dais was a coiled Firelink Sword in a shallow pit, the ashes of its last bonfire protected from the winds. _What the hell is_ that _doing here?_

"I wasn't kidding when I said this place was a shrine," explained Kaori, turning Naruto's attention back to her, "I don't know for what religion; just that this just _feels_ like sacred ground. While I'm right here with a fire blazing at the sword, I feel safe; I could just watch the flames dancing, and then shut everything else out so I could think better."

"I can see why," Naruto noted, walking cautiously up to the sword, "it's much easier to think."

Kaori snorted lightly in agreement. "Since it's getting late and this is your first day here, I'm gonna let you off early today," she said, changing the subject, "But starting tomorrow, I expect you to be working harder. And make sure you're not followed; I rarely come here anymore. Keep practicing, and you'll be able to call up your flame faster."

"Thanks sensei," Naruto chirped, before running back to the stairs.

…

[Old Kingdom Smith and Forge, thirty minutes later]

Tenten sat at the counter, watching out for customers. She found a certain degree of peace as she kept an eye on the store, surrounded by the blacksmith's high-quality works. Tenten took this opportunity to get some homework done as she waited for the next customer.

Such was the smith's skill that high-ranking shinobi often came to him with commissions for customized sets of weapons and armor. She was watching this store for two big reasons. One was that the blacksmith had an imposing figure, scaring people off just by his appearance. The other was because she _lived_ with the blacksmith.

As she was about to answer another question, the door chime rang, diverting her attention away from her homework. Tenten was about to greet the customer, but choked on words at their identity.

"Hello, Tenten," Kaori-sensei greeted her, "Is the old man done with my order yet?"

"Y-yeah, he is," Tenten stuttered, before calming down and coughing into her hand, "He's got it with him in the forge right now. Thing is, he's on a personal project right now since nobody's been ordering anything special the last few days."

"You think now's a good time to see him?"

"He's busy in the forge right now, but we've got to be _real_ careful," Tenten cautioned, "His pet project's big…about man-sized, last I saw it."

"Lead on."

Tenten nodded, before diving under the counter to hide her homework and pull out a "will return in five minutes" sign. "I'll take you to the forge."

The two of them walked around the counter past a wooden door that led to a large, well-ventilated chamber. As soon as Tenten opened the door, the "ping-ping-ping" heard from outside was louder, accompanied by the sweltering heat of the forge and smelter. Newer tools such as power hammers and belt grinders could be seen, but they paled in comparison to the number of more traditional tools the smith preferred.

The smith himself, however, sat by an anvil working a piece of hot metal to shape. He was a large, bearded old man, at least two heads taller than norm and well-muscled. Burn scars could be seen across his bare chest, and a bit on his arms; the only things he wore were a smith's apron, dirty grey pants, and heat-insulated boots and gloves. Disheveled white hair was in a ponytail for safety's sake, which gave the impression of a shaggy old alpha-lion.

"Grandpa? Kaori-sensei's here for her order."

"In a minute there," growled the smith, "Gotta put this thing back in the fire."

As soon as he finished speaking, the smith grabbed his work by the tang and shoved it into the forge to keep it hot. From what Tenten saw, this was indeed a large weapon; it was a sword with a blade about the same dimensions as a full-grown man. _What is grandpa thinking, making a blade this big?!_

"Don't mind me, this sword is a project to test me skills," explained the smith, patting the dust off his body, "I simply asked myself: 'if dragons ever existed, what would I use to kill one?' Then I figured the best thing to properly kill them dragons would be a big sword."

"Yeah Andre, it'd be the terror of dragons everywhere," Kaori replied, nodding in agreement, "Assuming someone's strong enough to even lift this thing. Seriously, it's more a hunk of iron than a proper sword."

"Indeed," said Andre, turning to face Kaori, "I assume yer here for your order then?" He moved to a rack to pull out a slender object while inspecting it. It was a solid metal cane with a hexagonal shaft and a wooden grip, and a bottom capped with a heavy bronze spike. "Well, here it is. I'll admit, it was very interesting for young Tenten and I to work on a piece like this. It was a challenging project, working with them blueprints you gave me."

Kaori took the cane from Andre's hands, inspecting the weapon with a careful eye. She held the cane by the grip, swinging it gently to test out its balance. "I know how you like them thrusting swords, so it will be a little tip-heavy," explained the old man, "Every little detail is in it. Just try it out and tell us how it goes."

"Will do," Kaori replied, spinning the cane around before placing the spike into the ground, "How much do I owe you?"

Andre waved her off nonchalantly. "No need to pay this time. Tenten's been trying to build them things from the blueprints you found."

As the attention was turned to her, Tenten could not help but wither under Kaori-sensei's scrutinizing look. While most girls were frightened by her, Tenten saw Kaori as a role model; while she favored thrusting swords, she was said to be skilled with whatever weapon she got hold of. She found stuttering to say a word to her teacher. "W-well, I've been looking for scrap to try building all three of them before asking Grandpa for some fresh metal and…"

"I look forward to seeing what you've built," Kaori interrupted, "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Tenten nodded before bowing respectfully. "H-hai, Kaori-sensei."

…

[Konoha Wilderness, the next day]

Naruto hopped through the treeline, remembering the path he'd taken to get to the shrine. He'd waited until he was out of the village before he started using the tree-hopping exercise to avoid attracting attention. Years of revenge pranks had taught him the value of subtlety: the best way to avoid suspicion, or at least buy more time for escape, was to act normal.

If there was one thing that could honestly be said about Uzumaki Naruto, it was that he always found ways to keep a promise. Especially if finding a way to keep said promise meant finding alternate routes to the shrine. Another hard lesson he'd learned to escape after a prank.

It took him no more than five minutes to get from Konoha straight to the mouth of the cave via tree-hopping and finding a new route. As soon as he landed, Naruto called up all the fear and longing he could, lighting up the flame on his hand. Just last night, he found that adding chakra intensified the flame and made it brighter, but it was tiring to keep at it overly long. Still, it was useful for times when a flashlight was not on hand.

He found Kaori-sensei waiting for him at the other end of the stairway, sitting against a tree with a fancy metal cane in her hands. She was looking at a small book in her hands, the words on the cover too small to read. "Just on time," she noted, turning a page, "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten how to get here."

"Yeah, well it wasn't that hard," Naruto replied, "what are we gonna learn today?"

Kaori put down her book, pulling out a small scroll from the small of her back and unfurling it on the ground. She pricked her finger with a kunai, and swiped it across a particular line on the scroll, producing a set of brush and ink set. "Strip down to your underwear, then lie down," she said brusquely.

Naruto stared at her like she'd grown a second head. _Has Kaori-sensei turned into a shotacon or something?_

Still, he had to obey; otherwise, Kaori would've likely burned all his clothes off. Naruto's shirt and pants were left in a nearby pile, before he lay down on the grass. Kaori immediately went to work, painting on all his major joints and coming to a stop in the middle of his chest. Her work complete, she began to fly through hand seals quickly before pressing a hand on Naruto's chest.

Within seconds, Naruto felt something surge into his body just before he started feeling heavier. "Today, we'll start training your body," said Kaori, helping Naruto up with a good deal of effort, "In the old days, warriors trained in full suits of armor; these days, gravity seals all over the body work just as well. Whenever we're not training, you'll do your daily routine with them on. I won't take them off until after you graduate."

"That's it?" asked Naruto, struggling to put on his clothes. He could see his body trembling trying to cope with the added weight.

"Of course not, I'm gonna help you on taijutsu," Kaori deadpanned, "I'm not gonna lie: your fighting skills are pathetic for a fist-fighter. However, it's _because_ your skills are that bad that I'll be able to teach you from the ground up. You're also pretty agile, so I have a good foundation to start with…"

"So what do we do?" Naruto inquired.

"We'll start with your footwork," Kaori replied matter-of-factly, "I'm going to teach you how to dance."

Naruto's eyes widened. He stared at his teacher silently for a few seconds. In response, Kaori pulled a fistful of senbon from her breast pocket and fanning them out. His eyes shrank to pinpricks from fear.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

…

 _ **A/N: And we're pretty much done.**_

 _ **Though I wonder, what blueprints did Kaori give to Tenten and her grandfather…? I wonder who will figure out what she's making as a project…?**_

 _ **Now I've got some support; from NorthSouthGorem…so props must go to them. Do please check him out.**_

 _ **Anyway, do review would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_

…

 _ **Vocabulary:**_

 _ **Konoha no Moeru Majo—Kaori's title means 'Blazing Witch of Konoha'**_

…

 _ **Cameos/References:**_

 _ **The giant sword—anyone who knows "Berserk" ought to know this weapon just by description. Especially since Miyazaki is a big fan of "Berserk".**_

 _ **The three weapon blueprints given to Tenten—I'll let you people have a guess as to what they are.**_


	4. Exam

_**A/N: As per a reader request, this has been sped up a smidge. Do read and review, would you kindly?**_

…

[Kiln of the First Flame, two years later]

The Firekeeper strode calmly through the graveyard, idly touching every weapon. Each one was a grave marker that told a story, so many she could barely keep up with all of them. Four of them in particular truly stood out, starting with the Great Lord Greatsword. The massive blade no longer radiated flames, but she could still feel its majesty. It wasn't a special weapon by any stretch, save for being less demanding in comparison to other greatswords, relying only on its master's skill and strength. Seeing as Gwyn himself was a master swordsman, and the creator of Miracles, she could see why it was his truest companion.

Continuing on, the next set was a silver sword and shield taken from the Silver Knights of Anor Londo. The shield rested against the slender blade of the sword, the latter of which was planted tip-first into the ground. Hanging from the guard and supported by the grip was a gold ring. A dark wood grain crest inlaid into its surface. This set belonged to a Chosen Undead who'd found it fitting for their fighting style. Their name was forever lost to history, as was the story of their becoming the Lord of Cinder.

The next set was a steel longsword, a spear, and an aged wooden staff with a crystal at the tip. The sword and the spear were simple, but well-maintained weapons that complemented each other in close-quarters combat. However, the Firekeeper noted that the staff radiated a power that belied its simplistic nature; possibly raw magic. These three weapons marked the grave for a Bearer of the Curse, skilled in both spell and sword. Curing the Undead Curse and becoming the ruler of Drangleic made their name well-known until their own Age of Fire had ended.

As she came to a stop in front of the last notable grave on her tour, the Firekeeper examined the weapon that marked the last Lord of Cinder. It was a large, but slender blade that was used by the brawnier warriors from Astora, its blade crackling with electricity. The Ashen One found this weapon, and had it infused with lightning to serve them well in their journey to end the cycle. In their quest to put an end to the Undead Curse, they usurped the flame, ushering in a new age with the power taken.

Every grave either belonged to a Lord of Cinder, or was strongly tied to those souls that had managed to link the fire. Off the corner of her eye, she spotted a gnarled hand-axe belonging to a nameless pyromancer of the Great Swamp that hollowed early in their quest. Near that was the mace and chime of a pious Archdrake cleric from Lindelt. Further in the distance was a massive spear with a large, swordlike blade crackling with divine thunder; even though its owner's name was forever redacted, she could still feel hints of their divinity on it. _It's truly interesting what the old gods and humans were capable of._

It'd been a good two years since she'd begun to watch through Naruto's eyes and she could only smile to herself at his progress. On the first day that he'd been trained by the Uchiha girl, she'd watched him being forced to dance. It was no small feat, given that Kaori had placed gravity seals on his body, but she managed to correct his footwork over the course of a week. From that first day on, footwork exercises and stamina training would be performed at the start of each session.

Their schedule was divided between 'body days' and 'mind days.' For the former, Naruto would be taught proper form while fighting, while also training his muscles to get used to the gravity seals. In combination with his daily routine, she could see the difference in his young musculature. The baby fat was still there, but was slightly outnumbered by the muscle he'd gained in the first year.

Mind days, on the other hand, were much more challenging for him. The Fire-Keeper laughed at Naruto's expense as Kaori made sure he was able to understand the material in class. Due to reviewing the classwork of each day, his grades started to pick up; not so much as to be student of the year, but at least he was saved from flunking. That, and whenever he pulled a prank, Kaori punished him severely—not for the prank itself, but for getting caught at all, forcing him to meticulously plan all his pranks. Successfully pulling off an impressive prank without being caught rewarded him with the next body day off to learn a new pyromancy spell.

As she watched his training through his eyes, the Fire-Keeper couldn't help but wonder what sort of story Naruto's life would tell with eyes unclouded. Her cost to survive, as well as to become Fire-Keeper of this place was simply her freedom―she was to guard this place until she was to be interred in another container. If she was just going to be a prisoner in this sad graveyard, she might as well enjoy the things her container experienced down to the base level.

As it just so happened, Naruto was about to start his physical education final…

…

[Konoha Ninja Academy, training ground]

Students sat in the bleachers, muttering to themselves as they waited for their names to be called out. Some wondered if they would be doing the spars first this time, others were wondering what sort of obstacle course was being built to challenge them. However, all were nervous as to who they would be partnered with on today—no surprise as today was finals.

Due to the gravity seals, Naruto's performance in the obstacle course had gone through a dip in the early stages. Because of the weight he had to lug around, overexerted muscles happened on a daily basis, putting his record at civilian speeds. But as time went by and he got used to the gravity seals, he managed to get back to his original speed. As it stood, he neck in neck with Sasuke for fastest times among the boys; granted, he was still slower, but he still did better than civilian students.

Today was an exception: Naruto had been given permission by Kaori to cut loose for his finals, taking off the seals a couple weeks prior to one. He could feel the freedom as he stretched out, and felt the relief of thirty pounds dropping from his body. Still, he was nervous about the final—this was his last chance. _Well, here goes nothing._

"All right then students, we're gonna start with target practice!" Mizuki-sensei announced. Several students heaved a sigh of relief in response. Target practice was a relatively simple affair; shuriken and kunai were thrown at a target, and students were scored according to shot placement. "We're gonna be throwing in a bit of a twist here: while you'll still be scored according to shot placement, we'll give extra credit to anyone that pulls off a trick shot."

Naruto was nervous. While he'd been steadily improving his throwing, Sasuke always smoked everyone else at target practice. He'd only recently gotten the hang of throwing properly after two weeks of training, so he wasn't as good. Still, the opportunity to try out his new bag of tricks was too good to pass up. _Besides, extra credit's extra credit._

As he looked from the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed Kaori-sensei leaning against a post, glaring at the exam. He had no idea whether or not he was her target, but he knew he wasn't the only one feeling the pressure. _Whoever pissed her off, they'd better watch out._

Waiting for his name to be called, Naruto watched as everyone else made their throws. Many of the other students threw their shuriken and kunai just to get enough to pass, while others fumbled the attempt to get extra credit. Overall, many of them played their throws very conservatively, getting the bare minimum of points to pass.

It was when they got to the shinobi-born students and the clan heirs that it got a bit interesting. Naruto watched Kira try to take the extra cred, using the momentum of her spin to fling kunai and shuriken at one target, pretty much shredding it. Sasuke threw his blades in such a way that they ricocheted off each other, and hit the target center-mass. Then came the synchronized dance of the Hyūga twins, each throwing kunai and shuriken in rhythm at the dummy. Everyone else had a turn, leaving Naruto for last. "Naruto, you're up."

Naruto heaved a sigh, remembering the training that Kaori-sensei had taught him: as he picked up the shuriken and kunai, he set his sights on the dummy before him. He decided to start with the shuriken first, remembering what she'd taught him about them. According her, shuriken were lighter, mainly because samurai originally made them to supplement their kenjutsu as a distraction. That meant that it was easier to throw them and a lot could be carried. However, their light weight also worked against them, as there wasn't much mass for penetrating armor—not that a lot of people wore armor anymore.

Kunai were heavier, meaning they didn't need as much finesse, which helped with their penetration power. On the other hand, their weight meant that trick throws needed harder throws. Still, he had plenty of ideas on how to score that extra credit; it was all a matter of timing and execution.

With shuriken clenched between his fingers, Naruto focused on the center mass. Three quick flicks sent shuriken flying at the dummy, digging deep into the torso in a tight group. Each volley hit their mark barely a second apart. Naruto grabbed another three shuriken, this time throwing them in a volley and hitting the dummy across the shoulders, before throwing the final shuriken dead-center.

As he started with the kunai, Naruto began to throw them at the center-mass, taking careful aim as he did so. Lessons under Kaori-sensei took over as he remembered that the trick was in the wrist. He was already getting ahead with the shuriken scores; there wasn't much need to score high on this test.

The responses he received weren't as good as Sasuke's applause, but at least he was no longer in the slump he was in for the last two years.

"Did you see that? The dead-last threw those shuriken fast!" whispered one student.

"Freaky…" his friend replied.

"Bah! He'll never be as good as Sasuke-kun!" whispered a fangirl.

"That was quite an improvement though," another admitted.

 _Well, at least it's better this time,_ he thought.

"Okay class, it's time for the obstacle course!" Mizuki announced, leading the students to the track, "Would Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kira and Uchiha Sasuke please step up to the starting line?"

The obstacle course consisted of a racetrack with a seals ingrained into its construction, to let the teacher manipulate the terrain as they saw fit. All one had to do was stand in the middle of the array, focus chakra into it, and the track took the form of the controller's desired course. This ranged from genin-level obstacles such as a wall-climb, to Chūnin Exam-style deathtraps for more advanced students. Without a teacher present, it was a normal track for a 500-meter dash.

Naruto watched as Mizuki stood in the circle. The obstacle course shifted around, the chakra-sensitive plastics taking shape as he sculpted the track with his mind. It was divided into four segments; the first quarter was a dash through rocky terrain, with lots of boulders and trees that would hinder movement. Then, there was a light mist that hid distant obstacles. This segment would prevent him from taking full advantage of the tree-hopping technique, but he was already too skilled at free-running for it to make much of a difference.

The second quarter had wide expanses of water that required runners to keep their balance on tall wooden piles as they made their way across. The section was difficult, as the piles were at different depths, forcing the runner to calculate their jump more thoroughly. In addition, the piles themselves were booby-trapped to sink into the water if anyone lingered on a single pile for too long.

After that was a gradual dip that led to a steep cliff. Naruto knew he would have to be careful navigating the rocks, lest he lose his grip and precious time trying to climb back up. The final obstacle seemed simple enough, a rickety rope bridge that lead back to the starting line, thus completing the lap.

"Here's how the exam will work," Mizuki-sensei explained, "Three of you will run this obstacle course at a time, and you have ten minutes to finish three laps. If you take any longer or are knocked off the course, you will automatically fail. You'll be scored according to the time you had left." He turned his attention to the three runners. "Get ready."

Naruto crouched, one hand on the floor in a running start. It was a pose that Sasuke and Nami also took, prepared to sprint. All three of them waited in anticipation for the start of the race. Mizuki pulled out a stopwatch from his pocket, his thumb hovering over the start button. The tension built up, as silence reigned.

"GO!" Mizuki shouted, pressing the start button. The three of them took off, running into the 'death course' with ten minutes to finish three laps.

…

(Kaori)

The physical education finals went on normally enough from Kaori's perspective, which would've been fine if Mizuki weren't the one assigned to it today…or at all, for that matter. So far, the scumbag hadn't done anything to really warrant her attention; but her gut feeling had never failed her before. At the very least, she had a feeling that something was off about him from day one.

"I didn't think you'd be interested in coming to watch physical education," Iruka noted, catching up to her, "Something up?"

"Just keeping an eye out for trouble." Kaori responded tersely as she watched Naruto navigating the first segment effortlessly, before hopping quickly on the piles.

"That's very good of you," he complimented, "Though I have to ask; why the interest in Naruto?"

Kaori hadn't averted her gaze from the students running, watching as they managed to navigate the obstacle course. Nonetheless, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kira managed to finish the first lap. "The whole town's been talking," Iruka explained, taking her silence as a sign to continue, "You both disappear into the forest every day; and I've noticed the gravity seals on his body. I'm guessing for supplementary lessons, judging from the brief dip in his performance I've seen in the beginning. Though to be honest, I thought you'd be helping your brother…"

"Are you trying to promote nepotism?" she challenged, pinning him down with a glare. Iruka wisely chose that moment to shut up.

"Sasuke doesn't need me, he's _already_ the best in his generation," she explained matter-of-factly, turning her attention back to the race. The three of them were midway towards finishing the second lap. Iruka stared at her intently, waiting for her to continue. "The saying oni ni kanabo applies to him—yeah, I _do_ know he's getting stronger, and if I'm being honest, he's got the groundwork for a great future right now. The only problem is that as long as his head's in the past, he'll be so cold to everything that he'll _never_ see that future.

"Naruto, on the other hand, has a lot of potential going for him; because he's a blank slate, he's that much easier to work with. The possibilities are just endless; so much that I just couldn't help but invest in him. I'm not putting down Sasuke's raw talent, but Naruto's raw potential is just a lot more _interesting."_

"Wouldn't that be favoritism?" asked Iruka.

"Not really," she deadpanned, "I see it as mentoring someone that really _needs_ the help. What Sasuke really needs right now is some healthy competition to make sure he won't get complacent."

As she finished, the race between Sasuke, Naruto and Kira ended as well. Sasuke and Kira were first and second-place respectively, which left Naruto in third place. The difference in time between the three of them was almost negligible: Sasuke finished the race in five minutes, thirty seconds, Kira behind him by a few milliseconds. Naruto, on the other hand, finished the race at third place at five minutes, thirty-three seconds.

It wasn't the result she'd been hoping for, but it was still impressive.

"Out of curiosity, how heavy were the seals you put on Naruto?" asked Iruka, as Mizuki continued on with the races.

Kaori grinned almost wickedly, sending chills up Iruka's spine. "None of your business."

…

(Naruto)

It'd been roughly two hours since Naruto had finished his part of the exam. He was resting up, watching the last group of students trying to pass the obstacle course. Quite a few barely made it, but still managing to finish the race…the slowest time he'd seen finished was nine minutes, fifty-five seconds. Everyone else failed, getting too tangled up in the traps to even finish, much less in under ten minutes.

Then there were those who passed with flying colors. This included the Hyūga twins, who finished the run at five minutes, fifty seconds. Aburame Shino and Nara Shikamaru finished in their run against Ami, all three of them within the area of six minutes straight, with Ami finishing in last place.

Surprisingly enough, Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura, in their mad dash to win Sasuke's affections, managed to beat out their opponent. The poor sap was knocked off the rickety bridge on his second lap and automatically failed the race. Both of them finished at around five minutes, fifty seconds.

"Now that we're done, follow me for the sparring exam," announced Mizuki, stepping off the circle and into the arena. Many students had dreaded this moment, not so much because of the fighting itself, but because nobody knew _who_ they would be fighting. On top of that, since this was a final exam, there was no telling what the teachers had in mind for how they would be tested.

"For this exam, your name's going to be called out at random," Mizuki explained, "You'll each be paired up with a fellow student. Other than that, the rules are the same: you have a total of five minutes to bring down your opponent; step a foot outside the ring, or land on anything other than your hands and feet, and you lose. Now then, first up is…"

The matches between civilian-born children were nothing to rave home about; there were a lot of draws—unless they were matched against shinobi-born children, then the odds were against them. The key factor he'd seen that was consistent was that some of the smarter students teamed up to take down one opponent at a time. It seemed that the trend was for dirty fighting to win the day…which sort of made sense in a practical way.

Overall however, whenever it was a shinobi vs. shinobi match, the fights tended to be a little more interesting…especially the ones that stood out. One such example was when Hinata and Hanabi fight each other to a standstill after having defeated each other's partners. _That was really intense right there,_ he thought.

Another that came to mind was when Kira was paired with Shino against Shikamaru and Choji. The two teams were by far the most even match he'd ever seen from the get-go. While Kira and Choji actively went toe-to-toe with each other, Shino and Shikamaru were engaged in a silent battle of wits with each other. The two smartest students were waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump into the fight, hoping to take out the tactical advantage afforded to the taijutsu specialist they were paired up with. It was like that game Shikamaru liked to play so much, but much more tense and faster-paced—not that either had a chance to get into the fight, as the match was over by then.

"Uzumaki Naruto and Ankokuji Ekei!" Mizuki announced, "You two will be fighting Uchiha Sasuke and Mimura Kennosuke!"

Naruto sighed in resignation as he sat up, reviewing his practice sessions under Kaori-sensei while following his partner down the bleachers. Waves of trepidation sent shivers up his spine as he thought of the upcoming fight. Between him and Sasuke, their respective partners were civilian students, which meant that this

"Get ready for a pounding!" Kennosuke announced, "About time I get someone easy!"

Sasuke said nothing, choosing to spit on the ground before silently glaring daggers at his competition.

"You think you can handle yourself?" Ekei challenged.

"I think I can," Naruto answered confidently, cracking his knuckles as he slipped into form. Tensions rose as the four of them waited patiently for Mizuki to start the fight. All four fighters twitched in anticipation as they were locked in the Academy-standard stance.

"Hajime!" barked Mizuki, kicking off the fight.

Sasuke rushed Naruto in the blink of an eye. The latter ducked under a haymaker aimed at his face, slugging Ekei instead, and countered with a gut-punch. Before Sasuke could recover from the unexpected riposte, Naruto surprised him by tackling him, shooting for a double-leg takedown. Sasuke recovered quickly enough to plant his feet in the ground and lift Naruto in preparation for a piledriver. Before he could follow through, Ekei shoulder-tackled him from the side, while Naruto shifted his weight to land on his hands and feet to charge Sasuke as he got back up. _Oh no you don't!_ thought Naruto, _I'm not even gonna give you the_ chance _to punch me!_

The two of them traded blows, Naruto struggling to make sure his punches and kicks were spot-on. It also tested his reflexes as he tried to deflect punches and kicks directed at his face. After ducking under a punch, Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the leg and pulled it up as he stood back up. Sasuke recovered from his lost balance quickly enough to cartwheel away from Naruto leaping after him in an attempt to pin him down. Sasuke hopped back, throwing Ekei out of the ring while attempting a jump kick, while Naruto took Kennosuke down with a low kick.

The seconds ticked by as Naruto and Sasuke were locked in a flurry of punches and kicks. Both of them traded blows, each unable to gain ground over the other. Sasuke tried to land a heavy punch on Naruto's face, missed, and overshot. Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the wrist, and turned his shoulder in its socket before punching him in the face. Confident his opponent was disoriented, Naruto used Sasuke's shoulder as a lever.

Before Naruto could throw Sasuke over his shoulder, Mizuki blew the whistle. "Nice job; you both did pretty well. Overall, you've lasted pretty long."

"But sensei! Naruto-baka cheated!" squealed a fangirl.

"Yeah! Hitting faces is not allowed!" shrieked another.

"Sasuke-kun shouldn't have lost to a dunce like him!" Sakura whined.

"Sadly, there's no such thing as honor among shinobi," admitted Mizuki, his grin disarming them from any further insinuations, "So there's no such thing as a 'dirty fighter,' either. In this world, the winner of the fight is both smart and lucky. They have to use every tool at their disposal and hope that that's enough to survive."

…

(Kaori)

The fights went off without a hitch, much to her relief.

Quite a few emotions ran through Kaori's mind at the end of the fight between Sasuke, Naruto, Ekei, and Kennosuke. For civilian-born students, she had to hand it to Ekei and Kennosuke; it wasn't easy to get as far as they did. She didn't see either of them graduating this year (or at all for that matter), but she supposed that they would still be helpful as part of the reserve forces.

Instead, her thoughts and feelings went to the fighters that'd lasted the longest in the arena. There was no end to the pride she felt at Naruto's progress, since she'd taken him under her wing. At first, he'd started off fighting like he was in the middle of a bar fight; a very crude and predictable style. After almost a year of her mentorship, she'd built him from the ground up into a more effective fighter that could hold his own against a prospective taijutsu specialist. _You've come a long way, Naruto-kun; I'd like to see where this will take you one day._

For Sasuke, she had to give him some credit: as cold as he was to her, he'd proven to be very capable. She had a feeling that watching Naruto starting to catch up to him in the sparring matches had motivated him to actually put some effort into his practice. Kaori knew this, because whenever Sasuke thought she wasn't watching, she saw him going through forms. _Glad I didn't mentor you…your being an asshole to me aside, I'd have been nothing but a crutch for you._

However, Mizuki's blatantly-forced smile put a damper on Kaori's good mood. While the Chūnin teacher seemed pretty kind for the most part, the former ANBU had her suspicions about him from day one. Especially in regards to the finals.

The first time Naruto had failed his finals, she could understand; it was the first year of getting used to his training regimen. That and it was uncommon, though not rare for students to graduate on the first try. Sometimes extra tutoring alone just wasn't enough for graduation.

The second time on the other hand, was suspicious. Throughout the last year, she'd made damn sure that Naruto understood the material good and proper while training him harder on body days. After all that effort, he'd still failed; something just didn't jive, especially considering she'd graded his chakra theory class- and homework herself.

"Hopefully, he'll be able to pass the chakra theory exam," said Iruka.

"You and me both."

…

[Classroom, an hour later]

The students waited for their names to be called up. From the last two times Naruto had taken the exam, he knew that he needed to perform the Kawarimi, Henge, and Bunshin no jutsu flawlessly in order to pass. The former two he had no issue with. For some reason, whenever he tried to summon a bunshin, it always wound up looking pale and sickly.

He watched as many students were called up to perform all three jutsu in succession. The Kawarimi portion was pretty straightforward—students replaced themselves with various objects, ranging from pencils to logs. In the Henge portion, many of them turned themselves into copies of the teachers, with varying degrees of accuracy. It was in the Bunshin segment that a lot of students stumbled: clones were either made too badly, or they couldn't muster enough chakra to make the required two.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of shinobi-born students did well for this exam, particularly the heirs and heiresses, some of whom managed to stand out by doing something different. For example, Kira created a bunshin with her puppy Akamaru, while Shino did the same with his kikaichu bugs. This year, after getting Kaori-sensei's permission, Naruto planned to do something different, involving his flames.

Speaking of whom, she was leaning in the corner of the classroom, watching silently. Her face was expressionless as she watched every student perform the three jutsu required to graduate. _Okay, something must be seriously wrong if Kaori-sensei's watching._

"Naruto, you're up." Iruka called out, breaking Naruto out of his thoughts. Heaving a sigh, he stepped up to the podium. _Okay, this is it…_

"First up, Kawarimi no Jutsu!" The Kawarimi was straightforward enough: he used the jutsu to replace himself with four stacked chairs, much to Iruka's amazement. They were stacked so that two chairs were balanced in the middle.

"Next up, Henge no Jutsu!" There was a devious smile on Naruto's face as he flew through hand seals, becoming enveloped in a puff of smoke. As it cleared, in Naruto's place stood a sweaty, naked, pigtailed blonde with a generous hourglass figure. Iruka nearly passed out from the massive nosebleed as she blew a kiss to him.

"GET SERIOUS YOU DUNCE!" yelled the teacher, whacking the transformed boy over the head. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed Kaori-sensei face-palming.

 _Yep, we're having words later,_ he thought dryly.

Iruka coughed into his hand. "This is the last one, Naruto. Do the Bunshin no Jutsu right and you'll graduate."

He could feel Kaori-sensei's eyes on him…the last thing he wanted was to show that all her time invested in him was a waste. Naruto took a deep breath. _Like hell I'm gonna fail! I'm gonna prove to Kaori-sensei that I was worth her while!_

Naruto closed his eyes, hands flying through hand-seals. A fast enough eye could tell that he wasn't using the regular seals for the Bunshin no Jutsu. Naruto called out "Kasai Bunshin no Jutsu!" Two small pillars of flame shot up on both sides, much to the amazement of the entire class. Naruto opened his eyes in expectation, hoping to see something different—only for his hopes to be cruelly dashed when he saw that his clones turned out to be the same. The students taunted him, calling him a failure in many different ways.

"Ha! I knew he'd fumble!" laughed one student.

"Once an idiot, always an idiot!" mocked another

Iruka heaved a remorseful sigh. "Sorry Naruto, but you've failed."

"Why not let him have another shot?" asked Mizuki, coming to Naruto's defense, "Surely he deserves another go."

"We both know I can't do that," countered Iruka, "I've gotta think about the other students. If I let him have a second shot, it won't be fair to everyone else."

"Normally, I'd agree with you Iruka," stated Kaori, finally making her presence known in class, "But after what I just saw, I can't help but agree with Mizuki in this case; why don't you give Naruto a second chance?"

Iruka and Mizuki stared at Kaori as though she'd grown a second head. However, it was the former that mustered up the courage to speak. "And why would I do that?"

"Three failures in a row on one subject, when he's been getting better at everything else over the years?" asked Kaori, "Doesn't _that_ seem suspicious? It's obvious to me that Naruto's been sabotaged all three times."

Students gasped at the revelation. The look of shock on Iruka's face was telling and Naruto couldn't blame him. He was more than surprised that both times he'd failed the finals was because of sabotage. Still, it was nothing compared to the anger he felt at the idea that someone would do such a thing. "You have any proof of this?" Iruka asked.

"Naruto kept failing at the regular Bunshin no Jutsu, so I taught him a new one," she explained, "I had him practice until it became second-nature to him. If he'd botched the jutsu on his own, he wouldn't have created a sickly clone; he'd have been burned by his own fire before that. And I've _seen_ him produce perfect clones many times. This means someone was messing with the jutsu."

"And who do you suppose is doing this?" asked Mizuki, his eyes darting around.

"I have a pretty good idea who it is, but I'm not giving any names," she answered sharply, never taking her eyes off Iruka, "You wanna be fair Iruka? Then don't fail Naruto over something that wasn't his fault." Her gaze hardened. "As to our resident saboteur, it'd be in their best interest to cut it out, unless they'd like to know _why_ I'm the Konoha no Moeru Majo. And just to reiterate, I'm watching the whole thing."

Iruka took a deep breath, before letting out a calming sigh. "Fine then, I'll humor you. But if Naruto-kun fails the jutsu again, then nothing you say will change my mind."

As the teachers sat nearby, Naruto took a deep breath—hoping that this time, nobody would interfere. Ignoring the snickering of many of his classmates, his hands flew through the same seals as before. This time however, he chose to be a little more ambitious. "Kasai Bunshin no Jutsu!" He summoned five pillars of fire, which took humanoid forms before gradually turning into five copies of himself. The entire class was wowed by the spectacle as five Naruto's burst into flames, leaving the real one behind.

"You pass!" congratulated Iruka.

Naruto felt no small amount of pride in his success today. He ran up to Kaori-sensei, hugging her. "Thank you, sensei!"

The elder Uchiha slowly stroked his golden locks awkwardly. This was a moment he would remember, as he savored the taste of victory. Of all the people Naruto wanted to impress, Iruka- and Kaori-sensei were at the top of his list. He'd succeeded in making both of them proud, and it felt good.

…

[Konoha Wilderness, Night]

Mizuki swiftly ran through the night, dodging patrols with a large scroll strapped to the small of his back, and two non-foldable Fūma shuriken slung over his shoulder. That Uchiha bitch had ruined everything! She'd knew what he was doing with the fox-brat, she didn't finger him as the perp. ' _Blazing Witch?' Ha! More like 'Blazing Bitch!'_

Still, he had more than one contingency for situations like these. By no means was he going to give up on the chance of attaining power…so he snuck into the Hokage's office himself. He'd prepared for this day, hoping to crush the demon-boy's hopes and dreams before slowly killing him and Iruka in one fell swoop—a shame really, he would have enjoyed their pain greatly. _Bah! So what if one pawn was taken off the board? At least Plan B worked._

Plan B involved 'anonymously' tipping off the Hokage about a bank robbery that he'd organized himself. The blame of said robbery would be pinned on some desperate and gullible nobody with a credible sob-story that he'd picked up off the street. While that idiot followed his directions, Mizuki slipped into the Hokage's office quietly, with fewer guards to worry about. The problem was he only had a twenty-minute window to sneak in, steal the scroll, then make his getaway.

With Phase 1 and 2 already completed, the window was closing in roughly five minutes. As it stood, he was already making good time; he was halfway towards the walls.

"Going somewhere?!" shouted a voice right behind behind him. Mizuki paused mid-stride as he turned to find the person that'd called out to him. "Where do you think you're looking?"

Hazarding a glance upwards, Mizuki could barely restrain his anger. Literally looking down on him from a tree branch was the bitch herself. Uchiha Kaori leaned against a trunk, glaring down at him with her arms crossed. Her new trademark cane was close at hand, ready for action―not that it would help her. _I'm supposed to be up_ there, _bitch!_

"I wouldn't go any further," she warned, "I've already told the Hokage about what you just did in class. He's probably already beefed up security at the walls just in case."

Mizuki scoffed. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" she challenged, hopping off the branch, taking a few steps towards him upon landing, "Well, we'll see if I'm bluffing when you get there. Either way, security's already been tightened significantly because of the robbery; I highly doubt you'll get far anyway. That, and I'm pretty sure that the Hokage's wised up by now, so he's probably already sent shinobi to find you. The way I see it, you've got two options. The first is that you can turn yourself in, _maybe_ get a life sentence instead of the death penalty and hopefully take that opportunity to rethink your life."

As she came to a stop in front of him, Mizuki sneered. "And the other?"

"You really wanna try your luck against me?" Kaori threatened, igniting her hand while bringing the spike of her cane to bear. "It won't end well for you."

Mizuki considered his options, before settling on pulling the scroll from its holster. "If I give this back, will you guarantee that I'll at least get a parole hearing?"

"We both know that's out of my hands; at the end of the day, it's all up—" Kaori couldn't say anymore as she was bisected mid-sentence, earning a wicked grin from Mizuki.

The Bunshin he'd created in front of her burst into smoke, a pair of Fūma shuriken in his hands as he stood over Kaori's bisected corpse. "For a former ANBU, you're a disgrace!" Mizuki spat, sneering victoriously at the corpse, "Well fuck that, and fuck you too, bitch!"

Before Mizuki could revel in his victory, he noted Kaori's body beginning to glow, sparks fluttering from her body like a lively campfire. The sweltering heat made it harder for him to breathe as the fire expanded, eating up all the ambient air. It slowly built up pressure before collapsing upon itself, then exploding violently. The instinct to flee took over, mixed in with his fear as he dove for cover. He was frozen in shock Kaori came into view, rushed him with her cane, his fear intensifying as she closed in fast. Mizuki screamed in pain as she leaped to thrust her cane through his shoulder; muscle, bone and artery could not resist the heavy, sharpened tip of the spike.

"How rude, that was no way to treat a lady," taunted Kaori, sadistically driving the cane deeper as he screamed in pain. The rage he felt overrode whatever fear was left in him. "I've been waiting for this day for a while now. You _really_ should've treasured your relationships more than power. Now you're gonna die like the asshole you really are; and even worse for you is that nobody's gonna cry at a traitor's funeral."

Kaori placed a foot on Mizuki's chest, kicking him off her cane. His body rolled several times until he came to a complete stop, propped up against a tree. Struggling to regulate his breathing, he found that for the first time in his life, he was facing a truly terrifying adversary. _Damn it! No wonder she's a former ANBU!_

Mizuki watched as his opponent slowly strode towards him, the flame in her hand burning brighter with every step. He reached into his pocket, desperately feeling around for what he needed to turn the tables. Quickly pulling an autoinjector from his pocket, Mizuki flipped the cap off with his thumb and rammed it into his throat.

What he saw next happened in seconds. With a flick of her wrist the hexagonal shaft broke into smaller pieces connected to some kind of spring. In one smooth motion, Kaori changed grips, the spring pulled the blade back together, the pieces forming a serrated sword. She punched into the air, swinging the chain of blades at him, cutting through his neck and his forearm in one pass.

Mizuki's head hit the ground, and rolling to a stop. As his vision blurred, his last view was looking up from Kaori's feet, as she looked down at him with disgust in her eyes. She opened her flaming palm, and his last vision was a geyser of flame speeding into his face…

…

[Hokage's office]

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his office, puffing away at his pipe and waiting for news from Kaori. Ever since she'd come to him about her suspicions about Mizuki, he'd been on high alert. The only thing that made it worse was that she observed him playing the good samaritan to try and earn Naruto's trust…after sabotaging him for the third time now.

Three knocks sounded off at the door, rousing Hiruzen from his thoughts. "Come in."

In response, Kaori walked in with the forbidden scroll tucked under one arm, and that odd-looking cane she'd picked up from Andre in the other. "It's done Hokage-sama," she stated, "He's not gonna do anymore harm."

"To think that I was right about Mizuki all along," he sighed, letting out a stream of smoke from his mouth, "Did he give you any trouble?"

"Not really," she answered matter-of-factly, pushing her glasses up with the grip of her cane, "Although he _was_ going to jab himself with something—not that I gave him a chance to use it. A gift from Orochimaru I suppose."

"Did you dispose of the body?"

Kaori nodded. "I doubt he'd have been useful anyway. With any luck, there won't be a way to discover jutsu from ashes. To be honest though, I feel bad for Tsubaki…what she saw in him, I'll never know."

"Mizuki's always been good at manipulating people," agreed the Hokage, taking a long drag from his pipe, "For Tsubaki however, she'll have to know what kind of man her boyfriend really was. Be a good friend to her, and comfort her when you have the chance; I doubt she'll take it well, but try to break it to her gently."

"I will, Hokage-sama," replied Kaori, bowing to him respectfully. She turned to open the door.

"By the way, Kaori," Hiruzen called out, "You've done a marvelous job of mentoring Naruto, and in an indirect way, Sasuke as well. Both have improved tremendously over the last three years."

"Say nothing of it, Hokage-sama," she answered, "I simply saw an opportunity to help someone and took it. Naruto was in need of serious help and Sasuke needed a kick in the pants. In the end, it all worked out."

As Kaori closed the door behind her, Hiruzen was left to his thoughts. Partially for the progress in both boys and the future that was ahead of them, as well as the team assignments…

…

 _ **A/N: Finally! Some serious action!**_

 _ **Give a warm round of applause to NorthSouthGorem for beta-ing this chapter. Have a look at his work when you can.**_

 _ **Do review would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_

…

 _ **Vocabulary:**_

 _ **Samurai with shuriken—that's the truth; shuriken were originally used by samurai to distract and annoy opponents.**_

" _ **oni ni kanabo"—a very common Japanese idiom, literally translated as "giving a club to an ogre" which means to make someone stronger than they already are…in short, it's giving someone a double-advantage.**_

…

 _ **Cameos/References:**_

 _ **Naruto's Shuriken toss—pretty much how Shimada Genji throws them; followed by Fan of Blades.**_


	5. New Weapons

_**A/N: My esteemed colleague and friend Soleneus has made a very valid point: the Elemental Nations is effectively a Japanese culture, so how's anyone supposed to know how to even pronounce Andre? Therefore, from this point on, Andre of Astora will go by the name Andore. He'll still pretty much be the same character, just a different name.**_

 _ **Anyway, there will be a little more action here, so do read and review, would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_

…

[Old Kingdom Smith and Forge]

Andore grunted as he pulled the strings taut on his latest pet project. Every effort put into tugging the string went towards wrapping it onto the other end. He needed to get the tension just right; too tight or too slack, and the thing wouldn't fire. For this reason, Tenten was a great help, pulling the bow back to make the job easier on him. It wasn't easy for a girl, but she'd proven to be a capable apprentice. That and the chakra-control exercises she'd been taught made her at least as strong as him.

"Hurry up, Grandpa!" shouted Tenten, "I don't think I can hold it any longer!"

"Almost there…!" Andore growled, wrapping the string tightly, "Now!" Their efforts were rewarded when Tenten let go. The arc of the bow rebounded into shape, pulling the string taut without snapping.

The two of them collapsed to the floor, panting as they caught their breath. "Fer the love of the gods! I need ta remember I'm a smith, not a bloody bowyer!"

"Then why'd you decide to _make_ such a big bow in the first place?" asked Tenten, panting.

"I wanted ta expand my inventory," admitted Andore, standing up and picking up the bow, "And I decided to make this as part of a set fer my next project. It's a tribute to the four great warriors."

The project in question was a giant bow made from a gnarled young tree. It was about as tall as two people, but was still a fully-functional weapon. By Tenten's estimation, the arrows it would need would easily be as large as spears. The only way this 'Greatbow' could conceivably be used was by a huge archer; even then, it would need to be planted in the ground to actually _fire_ it. Overall, in her opinion, it was the ultimate sniper's weapon for a giant. _A really nice piece, though,_ she thought wistfully, _I wonder what the other three weapons will be._

Tenten's attention turned to the sound of the door chime. "I'll get it, Grandpa!"

"Careful now!" reminded Andore, sitting up to stretch his back with a relaxed groan.

Tenten ran to the front counter, wondering who would come to buy their wares. In the year since she'd been put on a genin team with Lee and Nami, she'd been helping her grandfather with the shop, building and collecting new weapons. She'd also been given opportunities to field-test the weapons from Kaori-sensei's blueprints, as well as to make a replica of her cane-whip.

"Welcome!" Tenten greeted, "What can I…"

"Good day to you, Tenten," Kaori-sensei greeted, "How goes life?"

"F-f-fine, Kaori-sensei…" stammered Tenten. She noted that her former teacher wasn't alone; Naruto was with her. And instead of those goggles he favored, he was wearing a hitai-ate. "Naruto-kun!" she chirped, "I see you managed to graduate! Well done!"

"Yeah, well it was coming a long time now," Naruto agreed, "All that time, and I thought _I_ was the only screw-up."

Tenten nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, heard about that bit with the sabotage; and I'll have to say, that was just plain messed-up. You been keeping up on your weapon practice?"

"Of course! Kaori-sensei's made damn sure of it!"

Naruto had been coming to the Old Kingdom Smith and Forge religiously for a good year or so now. From what she'd heard, Kaori sensei asked her grandfather to help her train him in his Katon mastery by helping him make new weapons and armor for various clientele. Since then, he was welcome to help out in the shop, particularly whenever a project required the heating of specific parts of a piece.

After Tenten graduated, and started taking on missions under Gai-sensei, she decided to teach Naruto the basics of weapon-based combat.

…

[Old Kingdom Smith and Forge, roughly a year ago]

The backyard of the Old Kingdom Smith and Forge was an open space that allowed Andore to have some much-needed fresh air whenever he was stuck in the forge for too long. The shop was built near the river, allowing the smith easy access to clean water for various purposes. It gave him plenty of room to place special smelters for works that required bloom or crucible steel, as well as for a grandchild to play.

As the sound of wooden sticks colliding with each other filled the air, Naruto was knocked onto his ass for the umpteenth time. "Why do I have to learn this?" he whined, almost snarling at the shortened jō staff in his hand, "My fists are plenty good weapons! And my shuriken and kunai too!"

"I'm not denying that," Tenten countered, standing over him while shouldering her own jō, "It's just that like any other weapon, your fists have a limit to how much abuse they can take. It's only a matter of time before you hurt your hands so badly that they can't heal anymore, or you're out of stuff to throw. And let me tell you, as a person that's had to train with both hands tied behind her back—there's only so much you can do with your feet."

Naruto was silent, pondering the thought of losing his hands. No more hands meant no more jutsu, no more punching, no more throwing; in the end, he'd be forced to rely on someone to feed him his ramen fix. The very thought filled him with the fear of humiliations.

"I'm _not_ saying 'don't use your fists,' 'cause I agree that they're a good fallback weapon, especially when you need to be subtle," Tenten reassured, offering a free hand to him, "I'm just saying, take better care of them; if you lose your fallback, you have _nothing_ to defend yourself with. Plus, it's always good to know how to use whatever weapon you can find."

Graciously accepting the hand and Tenten's warm smile, Naruto stood back up with the jō in hand. "Let's try this again. The longer you last with me, the better idea of what kind of weapon to start you off with."

…

[Old Kingdom Smith and Forge, present day]

In the mock fights they'd had together, she found that he was the type to favor wide, sweeping motions with two-handed weapons, with the occasional thrust thrown in. Starting from there, Tenten taught Naruto how to wield two-handed swords with a bokken. After that, she taught him to use other two-handed weapons such as halberds and spears. Whenever she had to leave on a mission, Kaori-sensei picked up the slack, teaching him to use a sword in one hand and a smaller weapon offhand.

"So Tenten, is the old man around?"

"Who's out there?" growled Andore, stepping out of the forge. His eyes widened in recognition. "Ah! Kaori! How good to see you! And you've brought young Naruto for his graduation gift, have you?"

Naruto looked up at Kaori with a curious expression.

"Yes. It's about time he got it."

"It's been ready for a year now," answered Andore, as he reached under the counter. As he got back up, he produced a large item wrapped in cloth, "I was told that you've been training under gravity seals for quite some time now, so you should be man enough to wield it at this point."

Taking the package into his hands and hefting it to appreciate the weight, Naruto unwrapped it to find a sword. It had a leather-wrapped grip and a steel pommel, as well as a cruciform hilt. The long blade was straight, slender and double-edged, gently tapering into a sharp tip. The entire surface looked like rushing water or wood grain. Overall, he eyeballed the blade to be around three or four feet long, with a grip long enough to accommodate a one- or two-handed hold.

"It's one of the finest commissions I've done yet," said Andore, "It may not look like much, but this longsword is a quality weapon. It's at a sweet-spot as far as weight goes; light enough that you can use it in one or two hands, but heavy enough to do damage even if the edge is dulled. Good for slashing and thrusting in equal measure."

Naruto examined the sword in his hand. He could feel its weight as he hefted it against his shoulder―before his training under Kaori, he would've found it unwieldy. Now, he could swing it as he liked. _Well, she_ did _say she was going to see what style suited me well._

"You like?" asked an expectant Tenten.

Naruto lowered the sword, and pulled her into a hug. "I'll _treasure_ it, dattebayo!"

"Don't forget, we have to go soon," Kaori reminded, "We're already done with your license photo, but we still have to get to team selections."

Blue eyes widened in realization. "Ah man! I forgot about it!"

Before he could rush off, Naruto felt a tap on his head. In Andore's hands was a long, leather-bound object with a slot that fit the width of the sword. "Don't forget yer sheath now!"

After sheathing his sword into it, Naruto bowed graciously. "Thanks Andore-san!"

As he sped away into the distance with Kaori, Andore grinned warmly with a good amount of amusement. With a glance downward, he noted that Tenten had a soft smile on her face. "Don't worry about him, you did yer best to teach him," he told her, "All you can do is hope it's enough he comes out of it fine."

"It's not that, Grandpa," she replied, "It's just that it's finally happened for him. And I'm glad he's on his way to becoming Hokage, like he said."

…

[Konoha Ninja Academy]

Iruka waited patiently for the students to settle down, as he reviewed the team placement sheet. There were quite a few names on there that managed to make the cut, but there were several that really raised questions due to the arrangements. However, it wasn't his place to question the choices that were made for the teams.

He cleared his throat, ready to get this over with. Before he could even say a word, the doors slammed open, allowing Naruto entrance into the classroom. The boy rushed down the stairs before settling down at a desk. "Well, at least there's no lesson today," Iruka quipped.

"Sorry about that, had an order to pick up before I got here," Naruto replied, propping up a large sword right next to him.

Iruka would've explained to Naruto the impracticalities of using such a large weapon. Then he remembered that he trained with gravity seals for several years. That, and there were shinobi that actually _used_ such big swords. "Okay, let's begin…"

…

(Naruto)

The team assignments began without incident, much to Naruto's boredom as he settled down. Every team arrangement, beginning with Team 1 was either completely composed of civilian-born students or non-clan shinobi students that'd barely made the cut.

"Team Seven!" Iruka called out, "Haruno Sakura, Sai, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Off the corner of his eye, he could see Sakura silently cheering at the mention of teaming up with Sasuke; there was a brief moment of disappointment when Naruto heard that arrangement. However, most of his thoughts drifted to the third member. Sai was a strange student: always with a smile on his face, and a fellow outcast among the students. He'd been around since Naruto started class, and was considered barely above-average by the teachers. Still, there was something suspicious about him that Naruto couldn't put his finger on. _Aside from his nice paintings, he seems like an okay student…_

He never really spoke with Sai often…but whenever they did, Naruto was on the receiving end of quite a few insults by him. For some odd reason, he saw himself superior enough to call him 'dickless' with that off-putting fake-smile on his face. Still, he'd keep his eye on Sai; something about him had put up a red flag in Naruto's mind.

His thoughts were drowned out as he heard the next team placements. Team Eight was Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kira, and Hyūga Hinata; a specialized tracking team from what he understood. Between Shino's bugs, Akamaru, and Hinata's Byakugan, each of them was capable of effortlessly tracking a target. Plus, Shino was known to be a very shrewd strategist, giving the team an advantage in planning for ambushes.

Team Ten was composed of Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru—a chip off the old block as far as he'd heard. Before them, their own fathers were part of a team as well, known as the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio. With Shikamaru on their team as the team strategist, Team Ten was likely a specialized capture and assassination unit.

"Team Eleven! Uzumaki Naruto, Hyūga Hanabi, and Fuyuki Taka."

Naruto glanced over at his two teammates. Hanabi he recognized, having rescued her and Hinata from bullies once. Apart from her slightly darker complexion and longer hair, it was hard to tell the sisters apart at first glance. Like Hinata, she was a taijutsu specialist who used the Byakugan. She was also a bit braver than her sister, one to speak with him more often in class, while Hinata only turned red and shied away from him. Still, the fact that he'd usually seen the twins in each other's company spoke volumes about their relationship.

Hanabi wore a sand-colored vest over an off-white beige t-shirt that bared her midriff, with the clan's crest on the back, along with dark brown shorts. She also wore steel bands on her wrists and ankles, a fine wood-grain pattern on the surface. Strapped to the small of her back, just above her respectably wide hips, was a pack that contained all her other tools. Unlike her more conservatively-dressed sister, she wore her hitai-ate like a belt.

Taka on the other hand was an interesting girl. She was a civilian-born student that got by class with lots of charisma, grades on par with Shikamaru and Shino, and a ton of hard work. After Nami graduated, she became rookie of the year on the girls' side, right up there with Sakura and the twins. Best way to sum up her appearance was a whole lot of white: porcelain skin pulled taut over a healthy balance of fat to muscle, complemented with feathered shoulder-length hair. She observed the world with sapphire eyes that gave the impression of a hawk seeking prey—and in the spars, she struck like one.

Covering her body was a light all-season overcoat that she wore over a charcoal gray leotard that hugged her slender curves, along with a pair of off-white gray pants that were tied at her knees. Overall, she gave the appearance of someone that was optimally dressed for arctic warfare, or a snowy hawk with her streamlined, avian features. Balanced in her hand was a curved sword designed to be wielded in one hand with a knuckle-guard. She wore her hitai-ate around her neck.

The three of them sat around quietly as the other teams were collected by their sensei, until only they and Team Seven were the only ones left. Sai passed the time painting a picture while Sasuke ignored Sakura energetically trying to talk him up. With Taka sound asleep, Naruto chose this opportunity to pull his longsword out of the sheath to inspect the blade.

"So Naruto-kun, how does it feel to finally graduate?" Hanabi asked, breaking the ice.

"Like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders," Naruto answered, his attention still on the blade before sheathing it, "Seriously, all this time I've failed, and it turns out it's because someone was screwing me over the whole time. I mean, what the hell's their problem, dattebayo?"

"Yep," answered Hanabi, "I can see why it's frustrating. Still, good thing Kaori-sensei came to your rescue, right?"

"Good thing too. I guess that's what it means to be a mentor; you've gotta be totally invested in the person you're teaching for it to work."

Whatever else Naruto would've said was cut off as the door opened, and in walked Kaori-sensei with an orange book in hand. She wordlessly closed the door behind her, striding towards the teacher's desk. His jaw hung in confusion as she sat cross-legged on top of the desk while reading the book. "Kaori-sensei…?"

"Yep, you guessed it: I'm your sensei," answered Kaori, flipping a page in the book, "But first, I'm trying to teach someone a lesson. He should be here shortly, which _should_ solve another problem."

The door slammed open, allowing a white-haired man to rush in. He wore the green flak jacket of the jōnin shinobi over an indigo sweater, and dark gray pants. His hitai-ate was worn over his left eye like an eyepatch, the lower half of his face obscured by a mask. The right eye was focused on the orange book in Kaori-sensei's hands.

"'Bout time you got here, senpai," she deadpanned, flipping another page, "I was beginning to wonder how long until you noticed you were walking around without your smut."

"It didn't take long," answered 'Senpai' drolly, "I'm rather attached to that book. It's autographed, you know. Of course I'd notice you swiping it."

Kaori kept her attention on the book, flipping the page. "Only you, senpai…only you."

As the man moved in cautiously, Kaori freed up her left hand, setting it alight. The fire wasn't close enough to burn the book, but a quick pyromancy would change that. His eye widened in shock at her silent threat. "You're not gonna do it."

"You sure?" Kaori challenged, edging her flame closer to the book, "Hokage's orders were clear: if you're ever late like this again, your precious Icha-Icha is kindling for my next barbecue. Get me, Kakashi?"

"Fine, you win!" Kakashi huffed, gratefully accepting his returned book. "What a troublesome kōhai…y'know, if you really wanted to make a point, you could've just _said_ something."

Kaori snorted, snuffing out her flame. "Look on the bright side: now we're even for Kawa no Kuni."

"Everyone's a critic," sighed Kakashi, turning his attention to Team Seven, "You three, meet me up at the roof."

He shunshin'd out of the classroom, while Sakura, Sasuke, and Sai vacated the room, heading up to the roof, leaving Team Eleven behind with Kaori.

"Since we're all here, why don't we introduce ourselves?" asked Kaori, taking a seat close to her students, "Tell me your names, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams, and we'll go from there."

"Uh…Sensei? Why don't we start with you?" asked Hanabi, "So we have a good idea on what to do."

"Fair enough," Kaori agreed, "The name's Uchiha Kaori. I like yakitori, a good read and fireworks. One thing I dislike is hardtack…really glad those things are not part of our emergency rations anymore. Hobbies? Well, I like to wear finely-tailored clothing when I get the chance. My dream is for my brother to get his head out of his ass, and start being nicer to me. Now then, let's start with…the sleepyhead."

Taka sat up, wide awake in response. "Fuyuki Taka; I like to take hot baths and a nice cup of tea. I don't have a lot of dislikes per se. As for hobbies, I have a liking for chess and practicing my swordplay. No dreams really, but I _do_ have a secret ambition."

"And that is…?" asked Hanabi.

"A secret," Taka repeated, evading the question.

"You're next, pearl-eyes," Kaori cut in sharply, determined to stop the 'conversation' there.

Hanabi took a deep breath. "I'm Hyūga Hanabi. I like milk and bananas, and I really love my sister. I don't like parsley, though. For my hobby, I train with my dad a lot, to attain my dream of at least being strong enough to protect my sister. After that, I don't really know; maybe start my own family?"

"Good enough, and that leaves only one."

Taking his cue, Naruto sat up. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto; I like ramen a lot and I really don't like the time it takes for it to finish cooking. In my free time, I like to garden a bit, practice my bukijutsu, and find new ways to use my Katon mastery. My dream is to one day become Hokage."

Kaori nodded in approval. "That's good, now we know each other a little. Now here's the deal: you three are off for the rest of the day. Tomorrow morning, we're going to give you kids another test."

"Another test?" asked Hanabi curiously, "I thought we'd already done what we needed to pass."

Scoffing at her student's question, Kaori took a deep breath. "That's just child's play compared to the _real_ exam; what you kids just went through in the Academy was just to see if you have what it takes. Ultimately, the test to see if you _are_ shinobi-material is up to the jōnin sensei…which means if you screw this up, all three of you are going back to square one at the academy. Meet me at Training Ground 12 tomorrow morning at 8, and we'll see if you kids are ready for real life."

Taka watched as Kaori left the classroom, while Hanabi and Naruto gulped. The idea that they'd be sent back to the academy for failing another test was worrying. Even more frightening was the idea of what this exam would entail.

…

[Training Ground 12, the next day]

Boulders of all sizes littered the clearing. Kaori sat cross-legged atop one particularly large rock, the Threaded Cane across her lap. There was a fairly thick magazine in her hands detailing all the latest fashions she wished she could try out. As she closed the book, she began to imagine herself in an ebon suit that was made of fine materials, closely-cut to her form. She was also wearing a white shirt, black suspenders, red tie and black high-heels.

Picking up three chakra signatures coming to the training ground, she smiled to herself. _Let's see if you three can get the meaning of this test…_

Kaori reached into her vest, pulling out a pocket watch to check the time. Its dimensions were simple: round shape, silver cover etched with intricate leaf scrollwork, long chain. The fob at the end of the chain was a flat piece inlaid with a crow crest. All in all, the sort of item found on a rich man, especially given all the fine silver that plated this thing.

"Just in time," she noted, turning her attention to her students. Taka's arms were folded, a pair of curved swords at her side. Naruto shouldered his longsword, and a machete holstered at his side. Hanabi cracked her knuckles in anticipation. "Now that we're here, we can get started. Today, the three of you are hunting for a crystal lizard."

Crystal lizards were incredibly rare eight-legged reptiles that, as the name suggested, had crystals growing out of their bodies. The smaller ones had a tendency to scurry away upon being spotted. The larger ones were more menacing, with crystal shards forming a spiky armor for them. It was hard for zoologists to truly study them, mostly due to how often they'd been killed on the spot.

"The thing's fully grown, and made its nest in a cave not too far from here," explained Kaori, "It's already killed a few people that accidentally happened across it. You three have until noon to hunt it down and kill it. Bring the body back to me and I'll accept you three as full-fledged ninja."

"Wait a minute, sensei!" Hanabi protested, "Don't you think…"

"This is the only way I'll see if you're ready," Kaori interrupted, "It's either that, or I can send you back to the academy now. Ah yes, and you've got four hours, so I'd hustle."

Watching the three of them speeding off to find the crystal lizard, Kaori opened her magazine to disappear into the variety of new fashions. _With any luck, they'll pass…_

…

[Elsewhere in Training Ground 12]

It was a good two hours into their search and Team Eleven had yet to find their prey. At the front of the group, Naruto went to work, clearing a path with a large machete. In the other hand, he shouldered his longsword, prepared to chop up the lizard in one stroke. Being at the front of the team, he would also be the first to encounter the creature. Taka was next to Naruto, helping him clear the path with her shorter blade. The thing didn't look out-of-place in the close confines of a pirate ship, cutting rope or flesh in equal measure.

At the back was Hanabi, her Byakugan active. Her mastery over her dōjutsu was a big help in the search for the crystal lizard, especially given its range. Still, she wouldn't go down easily; like her sister Hinata, she was gifted in the art of Juken. There weren't any weapons on her person, though her steel bands seemed to be fair enough protection for her wrists and ankles.

"Do you see anything yet, Hanabi?" Taka asked, ducking under another branch.

"I can see pretty far, but it'll still be a while before I see it," Hanabi admitted, "What're you thinking?"

"How we're going to…" Taka explained, ducking under a branch, "Take that thing down. Finding it's the easy part; actually _dealing_ with it, that's the hard part."

"You're telling me," grunted Naruto, continuing to hack away at the branches, "I heard that adult crystal lizards were pretty vicious, and that they were every bit as fast as they were strong."

"Durable too," Hanabi added.

"Which is why we really need to work together," explained Taka, "No one under chūnin-level would be able to solo an adult crystal lizard."

"Think you can handle yourself Taka?" asked Naruto.

"I'll have you know…"

"Uh, guys?" Hanabi interrupted, freezing Naruto in place mid-swing, "I think we're here."

Naruto used the flat of his machete to gently push a branch aside, allowing them a glimpse at the surroundings. The entire area was a rocky clearing with a small creek running through. Just under an overhanging cliff face was a mound of rocks was the dark entrance into a cave. No surprise: animals, particularly predators, liked to hide in places that gave them the best camouflage.

"We're gonna want to keep shorter blades handy for now," Taka suggested, tightening the grip on her short sword, "A cave isn't the place you wanna swing a big blade like that."

Naruto nodded, sheathing his longsword, while Hanabi removed her bracelets. With their preparations complete, the three of them entered the portal of the cave. The advance was slow, not wanting to alert the lizard to their presence. Within minutes, they spotted small, glowing crystals that began to illuminate their journey through the cave. Every spire radiated a sort of power in the glow, adding a sort of natural beauty to the surroundings.

Taka had a closer look at one of the crystal shards on the floor. It took few seconds' examination for her to come to a conclusion. "This is a shinseki cave."

Shinseki was a rare natural material that yielded a fortune. It was a substance made of highly-concentrated nature chakra that crystallized into glowing spires. Rare weapons that could produce a pure chakra blade used the crystal as a focus and power source. One could not even hope to find the limits of this crystal's potential.

As much as a shinseki cave was a potential kingmaker, it became a deathtrap whenever adult crystal lizards were involved. The glowing crystals made for the perfect camouflage for them, especially due to the fact that they had shinseki growing off their bodies. So what Hanabi looked for was anything resembling a flowing chakra system.

Their hunt was silent, with Hanabi in the back, scanning the caves thoroughly. The entire passageway of the cave was almost lined with small crystal formations of shinseki scattered all around.

"How much do you think it's all worth?" Naruto asked, breaking the ice as he admired the scenery.

"Even I can't count that high," Taka noted, "But from what I've seen? At least enough to let a small family live comfortably for ten years; longer if they don't like their kids so much. Such a shame though, places like these are disappearing."

"Yeah, it's really…" Hanabi drifted off, coming to a stop. "I've found a chamber."

Naruto sheathed his machete as he and Taka stepped into the chamber first. The entire area was filled with luminescent white shinseki crystals of all sizes illuminating a large, round vault. "I can't see anything in here," Hanabi admitted, "Shinseki's made of pure chakra, so I can't see through it. Besides, there's just too much ground to cover and I can only see up to 50 meters right now."

"Everyone, be careful." Taka cautioned.

The three genin cautiously traversed the cavern, with Naruto leading and Taka guarding Hanabi. Tensions flared with every step as Team Eleven kept their eyes open for the crystal lizard. They'd already heard the sound of scurrying feet rush past them, making them pause, eyes darting everywhere to track the target. Team Eleven tensed as more footsteps could be heard going around them.

The scurrying had turned into an outright gallop as multiple legs rushed Team Eleven. Naruto turned just in time to see a large, glowing ball of crystal spikes rolling at the team at full speed, closing in fast. Crystals sprouted in its wake as it tore through the ground. As the creature unfurled itself, it pounced, ready to strike down Hanabi. Naruto leaped, pushing his teammates aside just in time for the creature to miss, igniting his flame quickly. As he stood back up, Naruto backhanded the monster across the face, conjuring forth an explosion of flames that blinded and knocked it back.

As they moved back for some breathing room, the entire team was able to get a good look at their assailant as it towered over them. It was a slender, reptilian creature with four long and gangly arms, two smaller arms, and a pair of digitigrade legs. Covering much of its head and shoulders was a 'mane' of glowing shinseki crystals that added protection to its shoulders. Hanging below its chin was a 'beard' that protected the front of the neck, while strengthening its bite. Shinseki shards also grew on its thighs and back, adding to the protection, while also adding more damage to the rolling attack. Its long, muscular tail was also covered in sharp crystals, gradually terminating into a massive mace at the tip. The ravenous crystal lizard glared down at Team Eleven, snarling at them before roaring angrily, breathing steaming hot air at them from its bluish-purple mouth.

{Play: "Is She With You?" by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, from "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice"}

Naruto held the longsword in one hand and his flame in the other as he charged the lizard. The lizard reached its arms back, intent on swiping him off his feet mid stride; he leaped over the arms, landed in a roll and stabbed the monster in its abdomen. In response, the crystal lizard's smaller set of arms clawed at him, making him hop back while slashing at its knee. He rolled backwards, firing a stream of flames at it as the lizard snapped its jaws at him. The flames didn't do much in terms of damage against the lizard beyond further enraging it. It swiped its mace-tail at Naruto. He flipped over the spiked mace, switching to a two-handed hold to block an arm that sent him flying.

As the crystal lizard galloped towards the recovering boy on all eight legs, it crouched low to leap. Before it could curl up, Taka slid in from behind with her longer blade, slicing into a foot and interrupting its attack. With the lizard staggered, Hanabi leapt in, her Byakugan active as she targeted the creature's tenketsu points in its vulnerable underside. She hopped back before the lizard managed to recover quickly enough to take a deep breath. It breathed a stream of high-pressure vapors, sweeping it at the ground in front of it, crystals instantaneously sprouting into deadly spikes.

Hanabi and Taka scattered as the lizard leaped over the wall of crystal spikes, landing with a glassy smash as crystals formed and shattered under its weight. As soon as it landed, Naruto brought his blade down to cut into the base of the lizard's tail. The lizard moved to dodge, but the blade dug in, stopping as it hit a bone; the lizard roared in pain, throwing Naruto off with a flick of its tail. As he sailed in the air towards his team, Naruto shifted his weight, breaking his fall as he landed in a roll.

His hands flew through hand seals with his flame active. "Kasai Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Four pillars of fire erupted around Naruto, producing four clones, each with a longsword in hand. The small squad of clones charged, each one picking a specific target to attack on the lizard. The crystal lizard swung its massive mace-tail, catching all four clones in a wide sweep. The clones exploded on impact, transforming into a massive wave of fire that obstructed its vision.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Team Eleven gathered near a stalagmite, watching as the lizard searched for them.

"We need to work closer together," Taka noted, drawing her short blade in the offhand, "Hitting it with chakra's not gonna do much except piss it off."

"Think you can make openings for us?" asked Hanabi, looking on at Naruto.

Naruto smirked. "I'll do my best, dattebayo!"

"We'll try to make openings for you too," added Hanabi, "But we're gonna have to target its underside or its eyes."

"No, we need to get rid of that tail first," he countered, "If we don't, we're gonna have an even harder fight ahead of us."

"He's right," Taka agreed, "That thing's got great range. The sooner we sever its tail, the better off we'll be."

"Then you two are gonna need a distraction," Hanabi noted, slipping on a pair of studded leather gloves. She ran out of cover, rushed the crystal lizard, and jumped over a swing of its claws, shifting her weight quickly to land on its forearm. Kicking off the appendage, she punched the lizard in the eye, before following through with an uppercut to its neck. After getting the creature's attention, Hanabi rolled to the side as it tried to bite her arm off; her response was to punch it in the other eye.

The crystal lizard was further enraged as Hanabi taunted it, issuing forth a roar of anger. With its attention on the younger Hyūga twin, Naruto and Taka moved in from the sides. Both of them brought their large blades down on the base, cleaving through the crystal lizard's tail. Blood splattered all over the cave as the lizard screeched in pain. It glared back at Team Eleven, utter hatred in its eyes as it snarled viciously.

"Now the fight's more even," Taka noted, "We need to cripple it some more, so first thing to go are its legs. Naruto, think you can handle it?"

Naruto flew through hand seals quickly, five blazing pillars erupted from the ground creating more Kasai Bunshin, each one gripping their longsword tighter. A reassuring grin creased each of their faces. "It'd be my pleasure," answered the lead clone.

"Get ready to summon more," Taka added, turning her attention to Hanabi. "You ready for more distraction duty?"

Hanabi snorted. "I thought you'd never ask."

Darting in and out of view as she avoided the lizard's arms, Hanabi began her work as the diversion, keeping the lizard's attention on her as much as possible. Whenever she had the opportunity, she would punch at the creature's wound, taunting and hurting it in one go. As the lizard kept its focus on Hanabi, Naruto and his clones severed a hind leg at the knee. Two of the clones weren't fast enough to dodge and were caught in the backhand sweep, detonating in a blinding wave of flames. Taka used this distraction to sever an arm at the shoulder before Hanabi vaulted over a crystal spire to punch the creature in the opposite shoulder.

As the crystal lizard collapsed to the ground, Team Eleven scattered, but Naruto hopped back as it gave one last swipe of its longer arms, leaving his remaining clones to detonate. With the lizard down and in pain, he drew his machete and jabbed it into the other hind leg before backing off. The lizard supported itself on its largest pair of arms, ignoring the blood loss as it snarled hatefully at Team Eleven.

The crystal lizard crawled towards them at full-speed, its rage fuelling its determination to kill them. Naruto charged back at it, leaping over a swing of its arm, with one hand on the blade guiding the thrust into the eye. The sword penetrated the eye and pierced the skull, cutting through the brain before Taka joined him by stabbing her long blade through the other eye. As rigor mortis set in, Naruto and Taka withdrew their blades before allowing Hanabi to stick an explosive tag on its head. All three of them ran back, taking cover behind a boulder as the tag detonated.

Naruto peeked over the boulder, seeing the headless corpse of the lizard spurting blood all over the cave floor. "Glad that's over with," he sighed, "Did anyone pack rope?"

…

[Training Ground 12]

The women's section of the Miyazaki fashion magazine held an exotic assortment of new clothes that Kaori wished to try out. One in particular was an old-fashioned design reminiscent of a frilly, black and white maid uniform. It had a leather corset wrapped below the bust, complemented with a red, hooded cloak. There were also a pair of decorative boiled leather vambraces, along with buckled high-heeled boots. The model also wore a pair of brass goggles with green-tinted lenses to complete the set.

The sound of footsteps and a heavy object being dragged about was a sign to Kaori that her team had succeeded in their first unofficial mission. With her hand still on her magazine, she reached into her pocket to pull out her silver-plated watch. She opened the cover to glance at the time before looking back at the team. The three of them dragged the carcass of the lizard in ropes; for good measure however, they also saw fit to bring the tail.

"Well, you three made it at 11:59" she commented, "I doubt it was easy for you."

"It took us a while, but we managed to get it done," Naruto admitted, sitting on a nearby rock.

Kaori nodded in agreement, inspecting the carcass. "You guys were actually cutting it close there; but you did well. I honestly hope you took something out of that fight."

"We started the fight making things up on the spot," Taka explained, "But we worked closer together later on, and then killed the lizard."

"Had to finish it off with an explosive tag though," Hanabi finished, "I once heard that headshots weren't always a guaranteed kill, so I wanted to make damn sure it was dead."

Kaori grunted before nodding in approval. "That was a good call. You three cut it real close with the time limit; but all things considered, you three did pretty well. Which is why the three of you passed this test."

Team Eleven looked to their teacher with a stupefied expression. "The whole point of this 'exam' was that it's a teamwork exercise to see how you'd handle yourselves in a practical situation. And unlike _some_ people, I absolutely refuse to beat around the bush with stuff like bell tests."

Reinvigorated with the good news, Naruto cheered with Hanabi. Taka simply stayed seated with a proud expression. It wasn't every day that a team of genin would pass

Standing up with a magazine in hand, Kaori looked down at her students. "Take the rest of the day off. You three earned it…but come tomorrow, we're going to _really_ get to work on you kids."

Igniting her free hand, Kaori ran through a series of single-handed seals and vanishing in a blaze.

…

 _ **A/N: Oh dear, I wonder what Andore's next project is…we already have the 'gnarled greatbow' so what tribute weapon will he build next…?**_

 _ **Don't think for a second that Naruto will be stuck with just kunai, pyromancies, and a longsword, I'll very likely expand his choice of weapons in the future to eventually include Greatbows. That, and I'll probably showcase what he's picked up for polearm use, as well as pyromancies later on.**_

 _ **Anyway, big thanks to NorthSouthGorem and Soleneus, who have both been big helps for this chapter. Give them a big hand, and check out their stuff?**_

 _ **Also, do leave a review, would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_

…

 _ **Vocabulary**_

 _ **Jō―a short staff a little over 4 feet long. It is said that Miyamoto Musashi's only defeat in a duel was in a rematch against an opponent wielding this weapon (the first time, he wielded a regular 6-foot bō).**_

 _ **Shinseki—literally 'god stone' (**_ _ **神石**_ _ **)**_

…

 _ **Cameos/References**_

 _ **Fuyuki Taka—I'll leave it up to you as to who she's based on…but honestly, the reference is already there if you follow Berserk.**_

 _ **Miyazaki Fashion Mag—in honor of Hidetaka Miyazaki himself….**_

 _ **The first outfit Kaori was looking at—pretty much Agent 47's outfit.**_

 _ **The second outfit Kaori was looking at—a standard steampunk dress with leather pieces.**_


	6. The Painted World of Yakumo

_**A/N: The amount of reviews I've received for the last chapter of this story has been…ah let's face it, was disappointing as hell. I'm telling you, if there's something you think I did wrong, you can tell it to me honestly…so long as you're classy about it and have a legitimate claim.**_

 _ **Also, if you're going to review on this story, all I ask is that you keep it relevant…if you have suggestions for a new story, then just PM me and I'll take it into consideration. Otherwise,**_ _ **please**_ _**keep the reviews relevant to the story.**_

 _ **With that off my chest, do read and review, would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_

…

[Kiln of the First Flame]

The sound of clashing metal filled the air as the Firekeeper drilled with the various weapons scattered about the graveyard. Each one she got hold of filled her with the memories of their owners, and their varying fighting styles. From the stealthy cunning of daggers and knives, to the raw, unbridled power of the so-called "ultra-greatswords," she got to know them all. There was so much variety here that the smithy-girl Naruto had befriended would very likely think she was in heaven.

Thus, she summoned some Black Knights in advance to spar with her after she became familiar with her greatsword-dagger pair. There were four of them surrounding her, each one towering over her by at least two heads, large weapons in hand. One of them wielded a shield and sword, another with a massive double-headed axe, one wielding a naginata with a back spike, and the last hefted a two-handed sword over the shoulder. After touching their weapons in the graveyard, she knew that these hulking warriors were once Gwyn's Silver Knights; his warrior-elite and most trusted guards next to his legendary Four Knights.

The first warrior to charge was the knight with the shield, hoping to stun her with a shield bash. The Firekeeper's response was to leap to the side at the last minute, plant the dagger into the ground and use the momentum of the spin to slash at its legs with the greatsword and trip it up. As it fell to earth, she spun in the opposite direction to knock it back before changing her momentum to pull the dagger out of the ground and thrust it into the chinks of the knight's armor.

Her attack was not yet finished, as she abandoned the greatsword and dagger pair for a spear with a sword-like blade and a large crossbar to parry the haft of a naginata before impaling its owner in one shot. Memories of this weapon revealed that it belonged to the original Dragon Slayer Ornstein himself, and it was infused with the power of lightning, making it easier to pierce armor.

She planted the tip of the spear, pinning her victim to the ground, leaving it to writhe in pain before spinning around to reach for a massive katana with a long grip. The Firekeeper parried the blade of a greatsword-wielding knight as she aimed for its wrists in one single motion. With her adversary staggered, she brought the blade of her katana down across its torso, it's cutting power enhanced with some sort of air blade.

Ducking under a double-bladed axe swinging at her head, the Firekeeper abandoned her katana in favor of a double-bladed sword. The weapon was used by one of King Vendrick's royal guard, demanding great skill to wield. Treating the 'twinblade' as a short quarterstaff was the key to mastering it; fortunately for her, its last owner was practically a grandmaster with it. The haft of the axe was severed in half, before the knight lost both arms at the shoulder, and was sliced in half across the waist. For good measure however, she drove the tip of the twinblade into the knight's faceplate to ensure that it was properly dead.

The Firekeeper heaved a heavy sigh as the Knights began to disintegrate. "This is no challenge," she mused, releasing her grip on the twinblade, "These were all divine warriors? I must summon stronger opponents worth my time."

The Black Knights served as adequate security guards for this place, mainly because they were among Gwyn's elite. She _could_ see their skill during their sparring sessions, it's just that when compared to her own power, they were woefully outmatched. Overall, they made for the perfect soldiers in the off-chance that someone successfully invaded the Kiln. This was made especially so due to the fact that they could not die here; all souls stored here could be resurrected as long as their weapons remained in the graveyard.

With that thought in mind, the Firekeeper turned her attention to the graves she tended. A part of her desired the prospect of fighting a stronger opponent, but she thought better of it. In addition to the frustration she'd feel from dying to the same opponent repeatedly, she had no idea if the laws of resurrection in this place also applied to her.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, she called forth as many souls in the area as she could. Enough to summon six Black Knights this time. However, she paused, rethinking her stance: would six Black Knights be enough to alleviate her boredom? "No," she mused to herself, glancing pensively at the Great Lord Greatsword, "I could use the challenge."

…

[Konoha, several months later]

" _Hanabi, are you in position?"_ asked Taka on the communicator.

" _Ready to move,"_ Hanabi responded.

" _Good. Naruto, do you have the target?"_

"Brown fur, red ribbon, two stripes on her head…yep, that's Tora alright," Naruto answered, arrows in hand as he looked at his target through a scope strapped to his bow, "I've got her in my sights, waiting on your go."

He wore a quiver at the small of his back, longsword holstered at his left hip, machete at the small of his back. On his arms and shoulders, he wore a pair of kote sleeves that covered his back, and were tied across his chest. It was a special order from Tenten and Andore made from chainmail with steel plates, underlaid with thin leather to protect his hands and fingers while using a bow. It was perfect for the technique called 'half-swording' as Kaori-sensei called it.

Today's mission was a rather difficult one: Madame Shijimi's cat Tora had escaped…again. The infamous cat was last seen in the park, which meant that Naruto had to run to the pet store, and pay a premium on catnip bags. Luckily, he also found some long, brittle sticks to make use of; they weren't so fragile as to break upon being fired, but would instead shatter upon contact with the target.

" _Then get ready to fire on my mark…"_

The target was sighted, all that was needed to trigger Taka's trap was patience; a virtue that was almost foreign to Naruto as he nocked an arrow on the string to his hankyū. It didn't have the range or power of the man-sized daikyū, but it fit his arms better. Besides, in a close-quarters engagement like a village, a longer bow was overkill when aiming at targets below the archer. Especially since said target was supposed to be the infamous 'housecat from hell.'

Holding onto the string, Naruto slowly tracked his unaware target with his bow. He had two more arrows between his fingers ready for follow-up shots, each one with a pouch of catnip tied around the head. He adjusted the trajectory a few feet ahead, as his job required the target alive. His archery lessons took hold, taking a deep breath to steady his aim.

" _Now."_

Naruto loosed the arrow, sending it flying at his target. The modifications on the arrows would make the capture easier. He quickly pulled out a pair of binoculars, watching as the arrow embedded itself in the ground in front of the cat, before shattering loudly to catch its attention. The cat climbed down from the park bench to investigate the source of the noise. Naruto could see it gingerly sniffing the remains of the pouch on the ground, its reaction changing from cautious to blissful within seconds.

Confident that the target was distracted, Naruto thumbed the transmit button on his throat mic. "The target's distracted, but I don't know for how long."

" _Agreed. Come in closer, we might need you to help us out soon."_

"Roger that."

After placing his remaining arrows back in the quiver, Naruto began to move into the park for a closer shot. _Thank god Kaori-sensei made me learn archery during the academy!_

The plan was conceived by Taka to catch Tora without much trouble. Naruto would distract Tora with bags of catnip (which he delivered via bow), allowing both her and Hanabi an easier time of catching the evil cat. If Tora were to supposedly try to fight her way out of capture, then Hanabi would use her Jyūken to stun the cat to make the job easier. It was also the first time the plan was put into effect, which was already risky enough. _I heard cats act differently to catnip -ttebayo._

With more catnip arrows prepared, Naruto was ready for more follow-up shots. He also had more than a few bamboo arrows he'd made himself for emergencies, since shinobi rarely practiced archery in any shape or form anymore. As much as he preferred his kunai and shuriken, Kaori-sensei was adamant that he be as well-versed in as many weapons as possible; a sentiment that Tenten shared, which led to him learning to use the bow and crossbow. After a few months of training with both, he found that he preferred the former for its range, versatility, and rate of fire; although he _did_ find the latter easier to use, and the fact that it could be braced against his body for one-handed use.

Naruto dropped from the building he'd used as a sniper's nest, landing on top of an iron lamppost with another catnip arrow ready to serve as a diversion. Taka was ready to move in to make the grab, and Hanabi inched closer. "I'm in position," he said, thumbing his throat mic.

" _Whatever you do, don't let her escape,"_ added Taka, " _Now, on my mark…"_

Drawing the bowstring back with another catnip arrow. Naruto set his sights on the ground near the cat as it got high on the catnip mix. " _Fire!"_

Releasing the bowstring, Naruto let his arrow fly. The projectile streaked through the air, shattering on the ground near Tora, prompting the cat to investigate. As she found herself deeper in her high, Taka and Hanabi quickly moved in to make the grab. The former plucked the cat below her front legs, exposing her body to Hanabi, who finished off the job by striking Tora in tenketsu points that would stun her.

Naruto allowed himself to drop from the lamppost, landing in a squat before moving toward Taka and Hanabi. "Nice shooting."

…

[Hokage's office, ten minutes later]

"Tora!" screamed Madame Shijimi, running up to Team Eleven. She scooped the cat from Taka's arms, and smothered the cat in a hug. Naruto looked sympathetically at Tora, thinking _no wonder she keeps running away._

"Well, this mission was more of a success than I thought," said the Hokage, a stopwatch in his hand. "As a matter of fact, between the start of the mission and the time you got here, you have beaten the record for finding Tora at a total of two hours, forty-five minutes, and sixteen seconds. That's almost two minutes faster than the last time."

"You're much too kind, Hokage-dono," responded Taka, bowing respectfully before the Hokage.

"Well, I might as well reward you all," Madame Shijimi said, fishing out a check from her purse, "Now to get on home with my pretty-kitty!"

As the Daimyo's wife left the office, Naruto turned his attention to the old Kage. "Don't we have any better missions?"

"Show some respect, Naruto!" barked Iruka, "There's a sorting algorithm for this kind of thing. At your level, D-rank is perfect for you!"

"Naruto's bad manners aside, I also think we're ready for something harder," added Kaori.

"Hmm, well you _do_ seem up to the task," the Hokage noted, "Unfortunately, we don't have anything around C-rank today…but check back tomorrow. I'm sure we'll have something for you by then."

Naruto sighed, satisfied with his answer. "Well, here's to…"

Before he could say anything else, the door to the office slammed open, allowing a little boy entrance into the room. He wore a strange hat, yellow shirt, and an obscenely long, blue scarf. In his hand, he wielded a wooden kunai that he brandished at the Hokage. The first thing to come out of his mouth was a loud "Prepare to die, Old Man!"

The boy had a running start, before stepping on his scarf and falling flat on his face; his kunai slipped from his hand, sailing into the wall near the the Hokage's head. He stood up, nursing his forehead as he grumbled in pain before shooting an accusatory glare at Naruto. "You!" he shouted, running up to Naruto as he pointed at him, "You're the one that tripped me, didn't you?!"

"You tripped yourself, you moron!" Naruto shot back.

"Liar!"

Naruto lifted the boy by the shirt with one hand, fist clenched. "We all saw you trip on your own scarf, so shut the hell up already!"

Everyone watched what was going on with mortified interest, as Naruto and the boy had a little staring contest; the latter was making some effort to stare back. But before anyone could advise Naruto to stand down, a man in sunglasses barrelled into the office. He wore an indigo jumpsuit, and his hitai-ate was worn like a bandana; he was panting as though he'd been running around for about an hour.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but he…" all other words the man had were cut off as he caught sight of Naruto with the boy in his hands, "You insolent wretch! Do you have any idea who it is you're manhandling?! That boy is the Sandaime Hokage's grandson!"

Naruto widened his eyes in surprise as he looked between the boy and the Hokage. There were similarities, barring the smug grin on the boy's face. "What's the matter? Not gonna hit me now that you know who my grandpa is?"

"I could care less if you were his grandma!" barked Naruto, landing a light jab to the younger boy's gut, knocking the wind out of him—much to the shock of everyone in the room. Kaori giggled in amusement.

"You brat! I knew it! The…"

Before the shinobi could say anything else, Kaori leveled a glare at him. "You _really_ wanna go there?" she calmly threatened, her flame igniting, "Are you _that_ stupid, or are you just a glutton for punishment?"

Ebisu had nothing else to say as he withered under her glare. Iruka simply gulped; he knew what sort of 'punishments' Kaori doled out…and he was certain Naruto did as well, given that she mentored him. It also disturbed him to no end how she was able to switch from amusement, to tranquil fury, to civility within seconds. "That said, Hokage-sama, I think we'll take our leave."

"I'll let you know when there's a higher-ranked mission for you."

…

[Konoha National Park]

The fresh air was good, a fair amount of clouds contrasting with the blue sky as Naruto strode through the park. It was the shortest path to Ichiraku Ramen from the Hokage Tower, and it was fairly scenic with the flowers blooming everywhere. The scenes of children playing with their parents however, caused him a good amount of envy—they were lucky to have a family, while he was forced to deal with the fact that he was all alone.

Still, it was an enjoyable walk towards his favorite hangout. _If I'm lucky, Choji will be there too,_ thought Naruto, _That way we can have an eating contest to see who eats the most ramen in ten minutes._

A thunderclap startled Naruto, forcing him to find cover quickly. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a gazebo; he made a break for the structure, hoping to avoid getting hit by the storm. He made it to cover before a lightning bolt flashed through the air, the scent of burnt metal filling his nose.

As he looked out from under the eaves of the gazebo, Naruto found himself bewildered at the lack of storm clouds in the sky. "That's weird," he mused to himself, "Not even a drop today."

With nothing better to do, he took in his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't alone; seated on a stool was a girl that was busy painting. She had brown hair with a pleat on one side with a yellow clip, and amber eyes that were focused on the canvas in front of her. Her attire consisted of a pink overcoat over a purple gi and a red fishnet mesh. Propped up against her seat was an odd painting with the Hokage tower being struck by lightning.

Glancing upwards, he noted another, much larger painting with a totally different subject sitting in front of her on the easel. There was some sort of village or city on the canvas, with conical spires in the distance. "That's a nice painting you've got there," Naruto finally said, catching the girl's attention, "You've got some talent."

"You have a good eye," answered the girl, turning her attention back to the painting, "It's something that popped up in my head lately. Want a better look?"

"Don't mind if I do." The other stranger replied, a mysterious half-smile on her face as she stepped back from the painting.

Naruto took in the finer details of the painting. He could make out buildings that seemed rather old, given the lack of any electric signboards or lampposts―just large, wooden signs dangling over doors and old-fashioned lanterns. The place seemed empty, as though everyone in there just up and left, save for one person down the road. Whoever it was in the painting seemed to radiate light, drawing the most attention in the otherwise dull and darkened painting. _Is it just me, or is this thing getting brighter?_ He thought to himself, reaching out to touch the canvas.

Naruto wasn't even able to scream as a blinding light engulfed his vision. When his vision cleared, the first thing he noticed was that the world was colored in dreary greys and blacks, as he made out more defined shapes and angles. He made out the shape of windows and doors, as well as the fact that he was alone. He quickly recognized the buildings from the painting he'd been looking at not too long ago. For some reason, he'd been somehow sucked into the painting.

As Naruto's eyes darted around frantically for a way out, he felt his heart clench with fear. Nothing he found looked familiar. The issue was made even worse due to the environment alone; the dull colors only reinforced the idea that this place was dead.

A loud shriek behind caught Naruto's attention. Turning to face his opponents approaching in the distance, he suddenly found himself facing a wall of enemies that looked like fresh corpses. Many of them were half-naked, exposing their differing stages of decay on rotting skin; others were dressed in tattered fineries, as well as clothing worn by the upper-class peasantry. Most disturbing was the fact that some of them wore armor that ranged between antique bronze plates, a few pieces of O-yoroi, to modern shinobi flak jackets. However, all of them either had a bundle of nerves clumped over their hearts, or a burning circle carved somewhere on their bodies; sometimes, he could see zombies with both. The sight of weapons in their hands, as well as the fact that they were running up to him gave him a pretty good idea on what this flood of the dead would do if they were to catch up to him.

He made a mad dash down the street, cutting down a few zombies with his longsword before making a quick turn into a house and shutting the door behind him. Four zombies were in the house with him, rushing him with damaged farm tools. In his adrenaline rush, Naruto quickly drew his machete, parried off a thrust from a pitchfork to stab his attacker in the stomach, before kicking them off the blade. The next three zombies were dispatched with a single volley of kunai, which punched through their heads. With no more enemies to deal with, he quickly dragged a heavy chest to barricade the door. _I probably won't have a lotta time,_ thought Naruto, taking a momentary respite from the horde of zombies banging on the door, _But at least it's something._

Once the banging on the doorway died down, Naruto peeked through the window, watching as zombie soldiers began to direct the others to other tasks. "What're they planning?" he whispered to himself.

As though in answer to his question, Naruto heard an inhuman roar, directing his attention to a massive samurai zombie in armor with a huge, serrated sword in one hand and crackling electricity in the other. The zombie ran his electrified hand along the sword's spine, vibrating the blade at extremely high frequencies. The swarm of undead parted for the brute to shamble towards the door. In response, Naruto quickly drew his bow and readied a few arrows before letting them loose. All shots nailed the armored zombie in the head, slightly slowing his advance. As he neared the door, the brutish zombie brought the sword down on the door, cutting down slowly on the threshold. _I've gotta get the hell outta here!_

As Naruto ran up the stairs, he could hear the door breaking down just in time for him to leap out the window, grabbing onto the eaves of the next house and climbing onto the rooftops. The appearance of several zombie archers prompted him to pull out a handful of kunai and throw them at the archers' heads as they nocked arrows into their short bows. The weight behind each kunai, coupled with the brittleness of undead bones, caved in their heads.

More shinobi zombies showed up, chasing Naruto off the roof and back to the town square, surrounding him. The undead brute with the saw stood closely behind the swarm, several arrows still stuck in his head. Naruto drew his longsword while igniting his flame, running his burning hand along the blade to set the sword alight. "Time to try out my new jutsu," he mused to himself.

The flood of zombies came pouring through streets with whatever weapon was on hand, filling the air with their shrieks. Naruto cut down several with his blazing sword, their wounds cauterized to prevent the possibility of regeneration. He could deal with the samurai later, when all his reinforcements had been taken care of.

Sometimes, Naruto threw a volley of kunai and shuriken in the direction of the zombified brute; more than a few hit him in various spots on the body, otherwise nailing any nearby zombie in the head. In between tosses, he used his longsword to its full potential—lopping off heads, stabbing through eye sockets, even caving in faces with the guard or pommel while half-swording. Occasionally however, he caught large swaths of zombies unawares with gouts of flame that erupted from the ground using some of the more advanced pyromancies he learned.

Naruto hopped over burned and dismembered corpses, doing his best to avoid wading knee-deep in the dead. While the number of smaller zombies had decreased, the saw-wielding samurai zombie still remained, body badly burned from Naruto's pyromancies. He swung his saw wildly, trying to cleave into the blond boy with the electrified blade; the brutish samurai-zombie was fast in spite of his decaying form, and was more than capable of taking a beating from fireballs and fire-whips.

However, Naruto's advantage was pure speed, avoiding the samurai's swings while taking advantage of the opportunity to throw fireballs at his opponent. With distance between them, Naruto sheathed his blade to ready his bow. The brute zombie roared at Naruto, his eyes taking on a reddish glow while black veins flowed beneath his rotting gray skin. "Oh I get it, you want to test out my new pyromancy?" he challenged, readying three arrows in his fingers, "Well, let's see how you handle this!"

Channeling more chakra into his flame, Naruto let it burn hotter by the second. As the brutish zombie let out another roar, Naruto coated his arrows with Katon chakra as his rotting opponent came charging at him. The undead brute resumed the fight, prepared to decapitate Naruto with a one-handed swing, but the young shinobi was faster, firing one arrow to each of the zombie's knees. Each shot penetrated the patella before exploding, completely crippling the the zombie. With his opponent's poise broken, Naruto fired one last arrow at his head, bits of bone, blood, and gray matter scattering from the explosion.

Naruto panted as he stood over the lifeless remains of his opponent. "How do you like my new Kasen pyromancy, eh?"

The zombie swarm still came from all directions, but it was more of a trickle than a full-on flood. Naruto sighed in frustration. _Manageable, but I'm not taking any chances. I'm gonna run._

Loud shrieks filled the air as the wave of undead began to charge. Naruto started running for cover, his attention on possible locations to funnel the zombies into, making the fight to come much more manageable. Everything came to a sudden stop when a bell began to toll in the distance.

"The hell's going on?" Naruto mused to himself, genuinely confused at the situation.

Naruto looked around, noticing that the zombies had frozen in place, listening as the bells rang. There was something ominous in the air as the zombie horde shambled away. His eyes followed the undead mob towards the far-off bell tower near the edge of the city.

"Where are they going?" he asked himself, confused at the situation. Within minutes, the streets were empty of any activity; nothing was left except the corpses that littered the ground.

"Someone must have rung that bell," Naruto concluded, "Whoever it is might know how to get me outta here…" Taking advantage of the respite he'd earned, he ran over to an empty hut, checking the place with a few arrows ready. Satisfied that nobody was around, he placed his gear on a table to check his inventory. Andore and Tenten's work was top of the line, so he could trust his longsword to take a good amount of punishment before breaking. The machete was his first project with the two of them, which meant that it too was built to last. If all else failed, of course, he could still count on his fists.

Ranged combat however, was a different story. His hankyū was still in good condition, and he'd barely used too many of his arrows, but he'd burned through almost half his supply of kunai and shuriken. The flame was a powerful and versatile weapon to be sure, but only worked with his chakra. In short, he needed to make his shots count.

"It'll have to do," Naruto shrugged, recalling what Kaori-sensei once told him: " _Most of the time, you'll find what you need on the battlefield. If not, then you can always 'borrow' them from your enemies. Either way, it helps that you come prepared."_

With a goal set, Naruto packed up his weapons. Whatever he broke or ran out of, he could always take from the dead.

…

[Hokage Tower]

It was a very odd occurrence in Hiruzen's experience. It wasn't every day that lightning struck his tower, let alone on a beautiful day such as this, unless it was with a jutsu. Still, he couldn't help shake the feeling that this sounded familiar.

"You sent for me, Hokage-sama?" asked wizened voice a from behind.

"Yes, Unkai. How is your niece doing?" inquired Hiruzen, turning to face the speaker. He had brown hair that was beginning to show its age, and was dressed in the finery of a nobleman. The grim expression on his face and his silence told the old Hokage everything he needed to know.

Hiruzen sighed. "How long has she been gone for?"

"A little over two days now," Unkai admitted.

"Well then, it looks like we need to get Kurenai-"

"Old man! Old man!" cried a voice from behind. As much as he loved Konohamaru, he was the last thing Hiruzen needed at the moment. The old Hokage turned around, expecting another attempt on his life—what he didn't expect was a look of urgency on his grandson's face. "That kid that just punched me today! I saw him get sucked into a painting! I mean, he was there one minute, about to touch the thing, then he just disappears!"

It didn't take long for Hiruzen to put two and two together. Yakumo's escape and Naruto's abduction; no way was there a coincidence. "May as well bring Kaori back as well; we have a full-blown kidnap on our hands."

…

[Painted World, the next night]

Naruto took aim with his hankyū from the treeline in the city park, a zombie archer in his sights, before shooting the creature in the head. He was running out of arrows from shooting a lot of zombies down on his way to the bell tower. Besides, he was near his destination; it'd taken quite a bit of time, but he'd made it about halfway. From what he could make out, the bell tower had a pointed roof stabbing into the sky. The tower itself was attached to a large building that Naruto figured was the main temple.

He scavenged the corpse for more supplies: he'd found arrows, a few firebombs and incendiary exploding tags, and a rack of shuriken. There was no guarantee that his mysterious benefactor was there, but at least he would get a good starting point to find them. That, and the bell tower could serve as a temporary headquarters as he searched the city. _But for now, I gotta get ready for whatever's over there._

Pocketing the fruits of his scavenging, Naruto proceeded towards the bell tower, taking care with every step. With more arrows in his quiver, he could afford to take more preemptive shots, but he still had to choose his targets wisely. _No need to go through that incident with the samurai again._

As he neared the temple, Naruto noted that barring the few zombies he'd already killed, everything was far too quiet. Even while he was downtown, the faint shuffling and moaning of the dead skulking around had still been audible―this was _dead_ silence. And on top of that, a layer of mist rolled in as he crossed the courtyard unimpeded, adding to the spookiness of the atmosphere. _Damn it, even a zombie ambush would've been better than this!_

Walking up to the front door to the temple compound, Naruto felt a vague sense of inadequacy. They were far larger than the doors he was used to seeing, with a rounded top pointing to the sky; both were made of rotting, but still heavy planks. However, the portal that framed them was made in such a way that it seemed to level an ominous look at him…as if saying 'come in' in a disturbingly calm voice.

"Okay, bad feeling about this place," he mused to himself. He gulped nervously, pressing both hands against the doors, "Not that I have any choice-ttebayo…"

With a heavy push, the doors gave way for Naruto—it all just seemed too easy. The interior of the temple was almost empty; there was barely anything inside, barring an altar at the back. There were many candle stands bathing the ground level with golden light, but that paled in comparison with the silvery moonlight shining in through a window.

Taking a tentative step into the temple, Naruto raised his flame, channeling more chakra into it to intensify the light. He paused as he heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards him; he turned his head just in time to see a huge shadow charging him. Running into the temple, Naruto landed in a roll as the walls came crashing down behind him.

{Play: "The Last Giant" by Motoi Sakuraba, from "Dark Souls II"}

The rubble knocked down quite a few of the candle stands, darkening the room significantly, but still revealing his attacker with help from the moonlight. It was large and fat, with a thick trunk, standing in a hunched posture with long, tree-like limbs. Naruto eyeballed the thing to be upwards of fifteen feet tall. There were sword blades and arrows were stuck into the creature's already battle-scarred body, as well as a few spears dug into its arms, legs, and back. The creature's face was grotesque; a wide, gaping mouth filled with broken teeth, a cancerous growth over its left eye, and a stubby, porcine nose. Its skin was loose and leathery, showing the massive amount of fat and muscle underneath.

The giant roared at Naruto, filling the area with the scent of rotting corpses even as it charged him, mid-swing in a left hook. Naruto rushed forward, rolling under the giant's punch before slashing at its ankle, eliciting a pained roar from his opponent as it lifted its leg to stomp him. Naruto managed to roll away at the last second, only to be staggered as the ground trembled from the impact. He barely sidestepped the second stomp, but managed to get enough of a footing to kick off and jump into a column before he was crushed underfoot. Kicking off from the column, Naruto darted through the air, slashing at the giant's leg in midair, earning another pained roar before skidding to a stop on the ground. _Gotta keep moving!_ he thought frantically, looking for the next target to cut, _Man, I really hope I can kill him fast_.

As he darted through the air, Naruto kept cutting away at the giant, leaving deep gashes as he passed, before he finally stabbed into the subclavian artery, leaving the giant roaring in pain as its wound gushed with blood. Rebounding off another column, he aimed for the giant's neck, hoping to sever either the carotid artery or jugular vein. As he neared his target, Naruto was grabbed in midair by the waist before being held in front of his opponent in both hands.

The giant squeezed Naruto's body, crushing bones—its victim raised his hand in front of its face, before blasting the giant's eyes with a large explosion of fire. Naruto fell out of the giant's grip, landing in a crouch to charge power into his flame. He slammed his fist into the ground, red-hot gouts of flame lanced through his opponent's body, staggering the giant and knocking it back. As soon as it steadied itself, the creature reached for its head, howling in pain as it hunched forward.

Naruto paused, watching with interest as something burst from the giant's back as it fell to its knees. It was a large, pink, wormlike creature that thrashed around as though the light hurt it. Naruto hopped onto the giant's back, longsword set alight, and began slashing away at the pink worm, cauterizing every wound that dug deep into it. After five strikes on the worm, Naruto was flung off the giant as it stood back up, the worm disappearing back into the spine. _Looks like I've found the weak spot…just gotta get that wormy-thing out again, and the fight will be a lot easier._

Letting out an angry roar, the giant braced itself to charge, picking up speed with every step with the intent to trample Naruto underfoot. Naruto rolled away, allowing the giant to stampede past him before throwing a large volley of fireballs at its back. This would serve to further derange the creature as it turned to look at him, the hate in its eyes intensifying as it pounced, forcing Naruto to flip backwards. The giant failed to hit Naruto, but viciously stomping the ground and shattering the floor. Both Naruto and the giant fell through the hole, crashing down in a darkened location illuminated with torches. The ground was covered in water and the walls had an organic appearance, which meant that he was in some kind of cave.

The giant roared angrily as Naruto tightened the grip on his sword; the entire area was fairly closed-in, but that just gave him more opportunities. As the giant charged, Naruto met the creature in turn, leaping over a punch and rolling between the giant's legs; however, as soon as he was behind the giant, Naruto leaped onto its back, digging the tip of his longsword into the creature's back where the spine joined with its rib cage. With his flame supercharged with chakra, Naruto unleashed a blazing torrent at the giant's spine, forcing the worm out of its hiding place. The giant thrashed around with its worm, in turn flailing Naruto around; it was hard to keep a steady grip on his sword as he shifted his weight to avoid getting cut by the swords stuck in the creature's back. Naruto swung his feet to place them on two sword grips hilted deep into the giant's back, Naruto steadied his hand to throw a massive fireball at the worm, a pained shriek reverberating against the cave walls in concert with the giant's roaring.

Quickly reaching behind, the giant grabbed Naruto by the leg and pulled him off, holding him in front of its face and filling his nose with the scent of rotting meat, while threatening to rupture his eardrums with its roar. In response, Naruto formed a fireball in his hand and tossed it into the giant's gaping maw. The resulting blast silenced the abomination and loosened its grip on his leg. As the giant tried to regain its composure and its breathing, Naruto ignited the blade before climbing up the choking beast's back, and planting the burning sword deep into the giant's spine at the nape of its neck. Shifting his weight downward, Naruto began to split the giant's back, cutting through the bones and the worm itself.

As he landed, Naruto backpedaled away, watching as the giant collapsed to the ground on its knees, dissolving into ash as it finally died. He was hurt and tired, and yet he'd somehow felt empowered by the experience. "I'd better get going," he mused, sheathing his longsword, "God knows what I'm gonna run into next."

Finding a stairwell in the cavern, Naruto felt his curiosity dominating any fear or weariness he'd felt after the battle with the giant. His trek up the stairs took a good ten minutes before he found himself at the ground floor of the tower. Strangely enough, the only part of the first tier that survived was the immediate area around the altar—as though that very spot was too sacred to destroy. _I'll have a better look later, right now I've gotta see if there's still any leads up here._

Naruto unsheathed his machete and intensified his flame continuing up the stairwell until he found himself at the top, looking at the skyline. Taking a moment to have a look outside, he could not help but find there was a sort of beauty in the abandoned city. True, it was dead on the inside, but there was a sort of majesty to this place that gave it character. Then again, he wasn't sure if any of this was real…he was, after all, still in a painting. Satisfied with his break, Naruto climbed the stairs until he'd arrived at his destination. The bell was large, its thick walls made of bronze, with a heavy hammer on the outside for striking it. _Yep, that'd be friggin' loud…_

"I see that you managed to survive so far," said a voice from behind, startling Naruto, "Well done."

Naruto turned to face his quarry, overlooking the city skyline before turning to face him. She wore white robes with wide sleeves, as well as a white hood that covered her face, but he could still make out a feminine form underneath it all. She wore white, fingerless gloves and a pair of baggy trousers that ballooned at her ankles of her sandaled feet. "I can't tell you who I am just yet," she said, "But I _can_ tell that you have no end of questions."

"You got that right, dattebayo!" Naruto answered sharply, tightening the grip on his machete.

"Get comfortable, then. We have all night…"

…

[Real World]

It had been fifteen minutes since Yakumo had finished her painting of the dead city, and about an hour since she'd chosen to hide out here, surrounded by empty crates in a dilapidated old warehouse. A part of her felt guilty for tricking that boy, but her darker half found it interesting to watch his adventures unfold as every canvas she'd placed on her stand literally painted themselves. Every piece that surrounded her was arranged in such a manner as to tell his story sequentially.

The first painting involved her prey peeking out the window of an abandoned house. Outside, there was a mob of zombies gathered around the barricaded door, trying to break in. She painted a large zombie in samurai armor with a large, serrated sword stomping his way to the door. The companion piece that painted itself on the next canvas involved her prey wielding a bow and a few arrows. The samurai zombie on the other hand, was totally destroyed; his limbs were gone, as well as his head.

Another painting had the image of a hideous giant staring down Yakumo's prey. This one she'd spent the last twenty minutes speed-painting, in an attempt to put him down. The companion piece to the battle with the giant, and the most recent painting that painted itself depicted the boy standing tired, but triumphant with a sword in one hand and a flame in the other. The giant lay dead on the ground before him with its back split open, its face in the waters of a cavern.

Yakumo sent chakra from her hand and into the canvas, waiting and watching as splotches of black and blue began to fill up the white of the chakra-sensitive primer. The darkness of the base coat was soon contrasted with blooms of white, orange, red, and yellow. This was how she was able to see what the boy was doing in the Painted World, as well as to plan ways to kill him. However, the fact of the matter was that even though she could send monsters and death traps into the Painted World, she had no control over the result of the encounters. All she could do to tell the story was to direct its path, and put obstacles in the way; how it ended relied heavily on the decisions of the actors.

Once the painting finished itself, Yakumo observed the image within the canvas―the first thing that caught her eye was the enormous bell that dominated the background. On the left, she saw that boy again, a smaller sword in one hand and an intense flame in the other. She could just barely make out confusion on his face as he looked on at the only other occupant in the painting. That person stood at the right, dressed in white clothes that obstructed all details except her gender.

Yakumo had a pretty good idea who this person was…and she wasn't about to let that girl stop her from getting revenge. Besides, the one who freed her specifically wanted this boy dead—it really wasn't personal, she just felt it right to repay her rescuer. _Interesting, so he's encountered_ her _,_ she thought with a smug grin.

Yes, it was worth it to put her revenge on hold, if only to watch the adventures of her assassination target. Besides, she'd left the entrance painting behind on purpose. Yakumo grinned wickedly. _It's only a matter of time before Kurenai-sensei finds it…_

…

 _ **A/N: Well, it's pretty much done…and we've a new arc to go through. I wonder though, how much time will Naruto have to stay in the Painted World before he gets to go free? And who is his rescuer? In any case, at least it's done. Do review, would you kindly?**_

…

 _ **Vocabulary:**_

 _ **Daikyū and hankyū—written as 'big bow' (**_ _ **大弓**_ _ **) and 'half bow' (**_ _ **半弓**_ _ **), but in general, both are considered 'yumi' or 'bows', it's just that as the name suggests, the daikyū is almost man-sized.**_

 _ **Kasen—literally written as "**_ _ **火箭"**_ _ **(fire arrow), but would be an old-fashioned rocket in Chinese.**_

 _ **Subclavian artery—the artery in your shoulder.**_

 _ **Carotid artery, jugular vein―two extremely vital blood vessels in the neck.**_

…

 _ **Cameos/References:**_

 _ **The Firekeeper's weapons—The Farron Greatsword, Dragonslayer Spear, Bewitched Alonne Sword, Twinblade**_

 _ **Naruto's time in the 'Painted World'—effectively a re-enactment of the Village in "Resident Evil 4" as well as the battle with El Gigante somewhat.**_

 _ **Samurai Zombie's fate—an arrow to the knee? Try two rockets to the knees.**_

 _ **First boss fight—pretty much the fight between El Gigante mixed in with the Curse-Rotted Greatwood.**_

 _ **The Rescuer's clothing—the Painting Guardian's hood and robes, everything else is a custom job.**_


	7. Monsters

_**A/N: And here you go, another chapter for Cinders…and a few days from my birthday. With any luck, it'll be worth the read.**_

 _ **So do please read and review, would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_

…

[The Painted World]

Naruto trudged through the streets of the city, keeping track of how far he was from the temple. If he explored too far from the temple and got lost, he'd likely run into even tougher mobs of zombies along the way back. Still, the first priority he needed out of the way was to explore as much of the area as possible within twelve hours before returning to the temple.

During his time stuck in the city, he'd become familiar with other weapons he found, which included things from big and heavy knives to different kinds of bludgeoning weapons. There were even a few large, but well-balanced axes he found to be versatile. As much as he liked the variety however, every weapon he'd picked up so far was pretty crappy.

His latest acquisition was a weird-looking weapon he'd stolen from a zombie in heavy plate armor. The best way to describe it was as a multi-tool: it had a spear at the top, fitted above an axe with a hammer head. This mish-mash of weapons was mounted on a long, heavy pole that had a leather wrap along the length of its shaft, ending in a spiked pommel to counterbalance it. It was a very versatile weapon, with every part being viable in a fight, and it helped that it had better reach. The problem however, was that being a polearm, he needed _a lot_ of room to take full advantage of this weapon, except if he were using the spear head. That, and while it was usable in one hand, it was best to use it two-handed to take full advantage of its versatility―which meant that he had to choose between this and his longsword to get the best out of it. _Just please, please, PLEASE don't break on me again!_

As far as ammo was concerned, he could always restock on his supply of kunai, shuriken, and arrows simply by scavenging bodies. With any luck, the arrows he fired at his victims would stay intact long enough for it to be reused. Still, he needed to conserve his ammunition in the event that he ran into another tough monster like that zombified giant he'd encountered a while ago. Everything done so far was in preparation for exploring even deeper into the city.

According to the stranger, Naruto's only means of escape meant finding the master of this world, and defeating them in battle. Sounded simple enough, but he still needed to actually _find_ his target in the first place; plus, there was always the chance that the hunter was also the hunted. _I swear, if I find the asshole that did this to me…!_

Naruto lost his train of thought as he heard something in the distance. He tensed, tightening the grip on his polearm as he registered the sound as a gallop that got louder. Hazarding a glance to his left, he spotted a stone bridge with zombies shuffling toward him with various weapons in hand. They'd barely made it partway across the bridge when something appeared behind them, trampling the zombies underfoot before coming to a sudden stop halfway toward him.

Naruto had a better look at his new adversary: a tall horse with a heavily-muscled body built for both power and speed, whinnying as it reared on its hind legs. Its lips were gone, exposing a set of broken teeth that looked as though they were pressed into chewing on meat. An ethereal blue flame blazed in place of its mane and tail, as well as on its hooves; it even _looked_ like it was breathing those flames. The carriage it pulled had spiked hubs, the driver and occupants were nowhere to be seen.

The two of them stood off against each other from opposite ends on the stone bridge, daring each other to make the first move.

…

[Konohagakure, shortly after Naruto's abduction]

Team Kurenai and Team Uchiha ran through the park, immediately finding the gazebo that Konohamaru had mentioned in his account. The painting of the abandoned city on its easel was all that was left of Yakumo. Hinata and Hanabi immediately moved in, Byakugan active and scanning for other threats, supported by both Kira and Shino. Taka stood by with her sword at hand, ready to assist if needed, with Kaori ready to set targets ablaze as support. Finally, Kurenai prepared a genjutsu to capture Yakumo.

"We're clear!" Hanabi announced, Byakugan helping her to further examine the area, "Strange, nobody's here. So why is that painting the only thing with a significant chakra signature around here?"

"That's a fire-and-forget genjutsu," Kurenai explained, studying the painting, "Once cast, it pretty much generates its own steady supply of chakra. That means it'll keep up the jutsu until it either stops generating chakra, or Yakumo dispels it herself. This one'll probably last a week, so we may have some time."

"Akamaru and I have her scent," Kira added, "We gotta find her before the trail goes cold."

Kurenai nodded, taking control of the situation. "Then let's split up; Kira, take Shino, Hanabi, and Taka to find Yakumo. Hinata, Kaori, and I will stay here; we'll try to find a way to break that jutsu he's stuck in."

Everybody nodded, but Kaori glared daggers at Kurenai―ever since the Hokage briefed them on what had happened, the Uchiha had been giving her more of a blizzard than a cold shoulder. Shaking herself back to the real world, Kurenai regarded the teams. "Then let's get to work. Time's running out; there's no telling if Naruto will still be alive by the time we save him."

With everyone else out of earshot, Kaori turned her attention to Kurenai. "So what's the plan?" she asked.

"We're going to have to find Naruto," began Kurenai, "We at least need to know that he's still alive. To do that, we have no other choice but to enter the painting."

"And how can we do that?"

"This looks like the kind of genjutsu that responds to touch," Kurenai explained, studying the artwork, "Which means that once we touch the painting, we will be transported to the world within. I can't promise what we'll find inside."

Kurenai turned her attention to Hinata, red eyes holding her gently in place. "Hinata, stay out here, we need someone to keep an eye on the painting. We don't want anyone else touching it and getting trapped too. And on top of that, I don't know what will happen if the painting is destroyed while we're in there."

"A-ano, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata inquired, "What about the person that freed Yakumo?"

"The Hokage has already sent someone to deal with the problem," Kaori answered, "Whoever did this, they won't get far; much less live to escape."

"I'll keep watch then," Hinata replied, her eyes downcast.

Kurenai reached under her chin, bringing the Hyūga heiress's pearlescent eyes to meet her reddish-browns. "Hinata-chan, I promise we'll bring him back."

"Thank you, sensei."

Satisfied with her answer, Kurenai turned to find Kaori still staring icily at her. "You ready to come with me?" she asked, ignoring it.

"Whatever it takes to bring Naruto-kun back," the Uchiha girl answered tersely, pushing up her glasses.

Without preamble, both Kaori and Kurenai touched the painting. The world around them became engulfed in blinding light. As it died down, they found themselves in the city depicted in the painting. In addition to the primeval state of their surroundings, Kurenai could feel that this world was as dead as it looked. There was nobody around, as if the entire city were evacuated with extreme prejudice. She could even see signs of looting here and there, in the form of shop walls and windows being broken down, the shelves themselves completely devoid of any valuables.

The two of them strolled down the boulevard, keeping an eye out for signs of Naruto. They didn't have to wait long before finding the first few bodies. Many of the corpses were charred, while others had deep cut marks…the most prominent of the bodies was the remains of a samurai with a serrated sword. His body looked as though he'd been hit with several explosive tags, blowing up his knees and his head. "I'll have a look," said Kaori, moving towards the corpses, "I need to see if Naruto did this."

As her erstwhile partner went to work on the investigation, Kurenai looked at Kaori curiously. There was no shortage of stories about the Uchiha pariah during her more active days, but she hadn't paid them much heed. What she _did_ know however, was that Kaori was the second youngest Uchiha prodigy to have graced the ranks of ANBU, eventually earning the title of "Konoha no Moeru Majo" for her Katon affinity. She specialized as an assassin and saboteur, using her Katon mastery to reduce victims and evidence into smouldering piles of ash, giving her the dubious title of "Densetsu no Hōkaheki." However, she was also an adept spy, often disguising herself as a prostitute to seduce the intel out of her victims until it was time to barbecue them. According to Anko, she was equally effective at enhanced interrogation whenever the situation called for a more direct approach.

Kurenai hadn't heard of how she trained Naruto, but she supposed that she was a harsh, but effective mentor to the Kyūbi boy. He'd made a marked improvement over the course of three years from the class dunce, to contender for Rookie of the Year―only failing the finals twice due to sabotage. Though what she saw in the boy, she would never understand; true, he _had_ gotten better, but there were times when he just fooled around with his pranks.

"Yep, that's definitely Naruto-kun's work," Kaori finally noted, still examining the carnage, "In addition to the traces of Katon chakra on some of the bodies, there are arrows lodged in quite a few heads. Plus, there's also evidence of sharp-force trauma from a short, heavy blade in some of them―from a machete, no doubt. And I also found some of them with big holes in their faces consistent with getting hit with a pommel, as though the sword's hilt were being used like a hammer. The timeline's not consistent though; he's been here like an hour, but all this damage looks like he did this, a couple weeks -maybe a month- ago."

"How do you know this wasn't done before he got here?" Kurenai queried.

Kaori said nothing, instead turning on her heel to fling a kunai in her direction. The heavy dagger sailed over Kurenai's shoulder, hitting something behind her with a wet squelch. She turned to find herself watching as a hooded person was knocked back by the force of the kunai.

Studying the body further, she noted that the corpse was dressed shabbily: torn pants and shirt, and any identifying facial features barring the mouth hidden under the leather hood. The pale, rotting skin was dried, and its bony body looked as though it had starved to death, then was mummified alive, its mouth forever frozen in an agonized howl. Near its chest, Kurenai could make out a bundle of nerves clumped over its rib cage. The corpse gripped onto a large, curved knife, with what looked like throwing daggers in the offhand.

"Just instinct," Kaori replied tersely, reaching for the creature's hood, "Now we'll see just what we're dealing with."

As she pulled off the leather hood, both Kurenai and Kaori had a look. The one word that immediately came to mind about the assassin's facial features was 'skeletal.' The creature's eyes were sunken and hollow, its nose had long disintegrated with the passage of time; everything about it seemed to fit the image of a starved mummy, even the pronounced cheekbones. With the kunai embedded deep in its head, there was no way it was getting back up anytime soon.

"Well now we know what to expect," Kaori mused, brushing past Kurenai, "We need to move fast; once we regroup with Naruto, we're gonna find a way to get us all out."

That was it, Kurenai needed to take care of this matter immediately before it became an issue later on. "Care to tell me what the _hell_ your problem is?" she asked, grabbing onto Kaori's shoulder.

Kaori paused momentarily, refusing to acknowledge Kurenai. "You _really_ don't want that."

"No, you _need_ to speak with me, here and now!" Kurenai nearly shouted, "I need to know what's the matter so you won't blow up on me later. So, out with it!"

"What's there to say? You're a crappy teacher," she growled, turning to face Kurenai with pure, icy hatred in her eyes, "You _abandoned_ your student! She _needed_ your help!"

"Her powers were too strong!" Kurenai shot back, "We needed a way to keep it under control!"

Kaori knocking away Kurenai's hand, her anger too much to contain in her voice. "What? By locking her away, out of sight and out of mind? Bullshit! That's negligence and you know it! How you're still a sensei is beyond me!"

"And what would you have done?" Kurenai countered.

"I'm not the genjutsu expert, so I can't help you there," Kaori admitted, "But you were supposed to _mentor_ the girl, not _tutor_ her! Mentoring requires _investment_ in your student, which means that you need to be _devoted_ to them, to have _faith_ in them! I had to build Naruto into the shinobi he is today from the ground up; and let me tell you, he wasn't an easy student to teach. But after three years of faith and investment, he went from dead-last to a contender for rookie of the year. What'd _you_ do with Yakumo? You just sealed her away without so much as a visit to make sure she's okay! This whole situation's all your fault!"

Kurenai stared wide-eyed in shock, before feeling pain in her heart as Kaori turned to leave. It wasn't so much the Uchiha's words as it was the truth behind them that hit her hard. "C'mon, we've got a lot of ground to cover," she said, more calmly this time, "You still have a chance to make this right with Yakumo. But if Naruto has to die for your failures as a mentor, it's all on you."

…

[Abandoned Warehouse]

In the hour or so since she'd abducted her target, Yakumo watched the blond boy's adventures through canvases that practically painted themselves. She'd tried multiple times to have the boy killed with a variety of powerful monsters, but he'd always found a way to win. So far, he'd defeated a plethora of enemies. One of them was a big, bald, bearded man with a centipede's body for a trunk; he ended up chopped in half and left for dead in a burning barn. Next was a pair of headless monsters wielding massive blades and power over wind and fire, done in with their own swords. He'd also confronted a tall, thin, insectoid creature with a long, sharp tail and covered in thick plates of natural armor; it was blown to bits with an exploding arrow. His current opponent was a massive, flaming horse that dragged around a large carriage while rearing on its hind legs.

Yakumo waited to see the results of the fight; after a few minutes, an image began to paint itself on the blank canvas, eliciting a sigh of frustration and a facepalm. The venue of the battle had changed from the bridge to a gladiatorial amphitheater empty of spectators. Her target stood over the broken remains of the horse, carriage totally destroyed. Half of his polearm lay on the ground, axe-head dug into the horse's neck. He'd suffered his fair share of battle damage, but he still found the strength to savor his momentary victory.

Although she found his determination to escape his predicament admirable, she still had a job to do. Why her benefactor had chosen this specific boy's death in particular was beyond her. "How goes my request, painter?" asked a smooth, almost condescending baritone from behind her.

 _Speak of the devil,_ she thought to herself. Yakumo sighed, turning to regard the visitor confidently approaching her with hands in his pockets. He was a tall man, dressed in finely-tailored clothing. His matte black leather jacket absorbed light and was loose enough to enable silent movement. To better protect himself, he wore hard leather armor strapped to his torso and legs; it was primitive, but light and durable enough to shrug off shuriken and the odd arrow with little trouble. He also wore a top hat, and a white mask with a goatee that was forever locked into a hideous rictus grin. Overall, he would have given the impression of a high-class dandy, were it not for the insanely large crossbow hanging from his back, and the large bolts for it held in his boots.

"Not too well, Chesutā-san," answered Yakumo, as she showed him the newest painting, "He just keeps surviving everything I throw at him; his will to live is just that impressive. My biggest concern is that it'll eventually come to drastic measures. Though it would _help_ if you'd just tell me _why_ you want him dead in the first place."

"It's no concern of yours, my dear," drawled Chesutā, "All you need to know is that he must die for you to enjoy your freedom."

The man named 'Chesutā' was a very curious sort. One day, he'd broken Yakumo free from the Kurama house, wasting no time in asking something of her. From what she could tell, this man was an aristocrat. It wasn't the request she had a problem with, so much that she was being kept in the dark. "So that's it? I kill him and I'll be free?"

"If you must know, his death would be doing this bloody village a service," Chesutā added, his voice taking on a more sinister tone, "And once he's dead, there will be nobody to trouble you."

Not once did she question her benefactor's intention to free her, though she _did_ wonder why he did it. Whatever he wanted her to do was very likely going to end in her death, whether she succeeded or not. Still, she had a contingency or two ready to punish him.

Whatever else she had to say found itself lodged in her throat. Yakumo felt a prickling sensation run up her spine. It was a feeling she'd come to associate with someone entering a Painted World. She placed a hand on the blank canvas, channeling her chakra into it as she focused on the source of the intrusion. As the painting drew itself, she made out two feminine forms walking down the streets of her abandoned city; one of them was a bespectacled woman she didn't know, but she _could_ recognize that mess of long, curled hair anywhere. _So, you've come Kurenai-_ sensei _,_ she mused to herself, _Looks I can have my revenge_ and _pay off my debt in one go! I've just gotta push them all in the right direction, and we're all set._

"Is something the matter, my dear?" asked Chesutā.

"Nothing," Yakumo answered quickly, "Just that things are looking up now."

The wicked noble's voice took on a hint of predatory curiosity. "Oh? Then do tell, my dear, how your luck has changed for the better."

"Uzumaki Naruto _will_ die, that's all I'm going to say."

Chesutā stared wordlessly at her for a moment. Yakumo could feel a wicked grin under his mask, as she awaited his response. "Very well then, just make sure he dies and we shall be even."

As he turned to leave, Yakumo pulled out a blank canvas from under her seat. She needed to be quick if she wanted to get her targets into the same area. However, with the addition of a new target, she needed to get serious if she wanted to kill three birds with one stone. Luckily, it just so happened that this factory produced painting canvases by the hundreds, and that there was still a surplus. The Kurama heiress still had many scenes to paint, and an even bigger story to tell.

…

[The Destroyed Temple, Painted World]

Nightfall had come sooner than Naruto expected, but at least he felt safe, knowing that he would not have to deal with yet another rush of zombies. He could feel exhaustion hitting him in full force as he set foot back at the temple. The battle against the giant horse was difficult; it faded in and out of the battlefield, trying to trample him under its hooves, or grind him to death with the carriage's spiked hubcaps. And on top of that, he had to deal with the unseen occupants of the carriage taking potshots at him with exploding arrows. His axe-spear-hammer weapon broke in half when he'd used the axe to cut into the horse's neck.

As he carefully navigated ledge around the hole to the stairwell of the belltower, Naruto arrived at the small shrine at the opposite end. In place of the altar, a Firelink Sword was planted in the ground, this time in the remains of a dying bonfire. His hostess squatted near the flame, warming her hands. He silently sat next to her, taking in the warmth and the feeling of safety he felt from the bonfire.

Since he'd uncovered the mystery behind the altar, Naruto had been using the bonfire to keep warm while he thought and prepared to explore the city further in hopes of finding his captor. But as he ventured deeper, he'd been forced to run a gauntlet against zombie hordes and tough monsters that just kept pushing him to his limits. For some reason however, the monsters just refused to come in this direction…at worst, they sometimes waited for him outside the temple before attacking.

The mystery just kept getting deeper every time he came to the Firelink Sword itself. When he last found one in the shrine with Kaori-sensei, he only had a feeling of safety from it; this one seemed to invigorate him. On top of that, wounds he'd suffered the day before would be healed every time he came back to rest, as if the sword gave the bonfire an ability to heal all wounds. He would still remember the damage he'd sustained from the fight, but there was not even a scar on his body.

"Rest up," said the woman in white, pulling out a small bottle from her robes, "You're gonna need all your strength for the task ahead. The mistress of this world's just waiting for the right time to attack you herself. When that happens, I doubt you'll be safe even at the bonfire."

The hostess lifted her veil slightly as she took a swig from the bottle.

"Well, you mind telling me more?" Naruto asked, eyeing her suspiciously, "It's hard to trust you when you won't even tell me about yourself, dattebayo."

"I can't say much, barring the fact that the mistress just can't afford kill me," explained the hostess, earning Naruto's rapt attention, "I'm tied closely to this world, and thus her soul—if I die, then she dies with me. So I'd like to think that she'd value her life over any inconvenience I'd cause her. The main reason I'm helping you is because doing so would be doing her a _big_ favor in the long run."

"What kind of favor?" Naruto inquired.

"The mistress has been locked in this slump for way too long," continued the hostess, taking another sip, "The main reason this world looks the way it does is because she's locked something away in her mind, something she needs to face if she wants to get out into a better world. The problem is, that as long as her dark side rules, she'll continue to blame other people for the bad things that happen to her, without even considering that she may have done them to herself."

"What'd she do to get this world in her head?"

The woman in white opened her mouth to say something, only to suddenly change tact. "I'm sensing arrivals in the city," she finally said, as though trying to get her bearings, "Two. Whoever it is, they're walking around like they're looking for something."

Someone had come for him. The very thought alone had lifted Naruto's spirits, and yet he had an odd feeling that they had just gotten themselves stuck in the same situation. Still, he couldn't help but ask. "Are they okay?"

"They're fine for now, but I have no idea how long they'll last out there," explained the hostess, "Reality in this world is completely different from the real world. Anything could do them in if they're not careful."

"Where are they now?" Naruto asked, grabbing his bow and longsword.

"They're exploring the park as we speak."

…

[City Park, the Painted World]

The park would have been more welcoming if it weren't for the dead silence that pervaded the entire area. Barren trees towered over dying patches of grass; signs that whatever happened to the city had no mercy for this place. Scattered about the area were charred corpses that looked like they were strung up before they were ignited―as though they were all sacrificed to some evil god. The only thing still remotely beautiful about this place were the flowers that bloomed in the face of such death and destruction.

Kaori and Kurenai trekked through the park, taking care to avoid the odd zombie, often killing them quickly and quietly to avoid attracting the whole district. The zombies themselves were weak, but when they attacked, they did so with speed, ferocity, and most often in large numbers. Sometimes, they were even supported by larger, more intelligent zombies that still knew how to fight, sneak around, even use jutsu. The more dangerous ones however, were smart enough to act as commanders, directing the swarm more effectively and efficiently while taking full advantage of zombie crossbowmen. Either way, it was not a good experience to go through, especially not after the last time they were spotted by one zombie, only to deal with the rest of the swarm.

Both of them had their weapons on hand to deal with massive swarms of zombies. Kaori had her now-infamous cane, ready to transition smoothly from deadly thrusts to rending cuts instantaneously, her flame and Katon mastery at the ready in the offhand. Kurenai had a pouch of kunai at the ready, while her vast arsenal of genjutsu was found to be effective on the living dead.

In the few days they'd spent in the Painted World, they'd found their survival skills put to the test. Kaori had been given the task of checking for traps whenever suspicious-looking chests were found, while Kurenai used her genjutsu to keep zombie kills quiet so as not to alert another swarm. Whenever a horde _did_ come, their skills complemented each other: Kurenai's genjutsu was used to immobilize targets for Kaori to incinerate, or left them easy pickings for stealth kills.

"Where to now?" asked Kurenai.

"We should probably check out that building over in the distance," explained Kaori, indicating the structure with the belltower, "If I know Naruto well, he'd probably take up shelter inside, and fortify it with a few _surprises_ before trying to find a way out of here."

Kurenai was curious. Something about the way Kaori emphasized 'surprises' pulled up a question in her mind. "Surprises?"

"Yeah," answered the Uchiha heiress, "You remember all those pranks he'd been pulling during his time at the academy?" Kurenai nodded silently, before allowing her to continue. "I actually _let_ him pull them. However, I had a few conditions: if he ever got caught, I'd punish him seriously. But, if his prank went off without a hitch and he impressed me, I'd give him a day off to learn a new jutsu. So we can expect some pretty dangerous traps up ahead—which means we'd need Naruto to navigate them safely."

Kurenai couldn't believe what she'd heard. Still, she could hear the undertone of sadness beneath her pride. "You worried about Naruto?

"Yeah," Kaori admitted, "I've had three years of time and effort with him as his mentor, so of course I'd be worried about him. I want him to live long enough to see where that potential of his takes him. It's selfish, I know; but what they don't tell you when mentoring is that you gradually build a bond with your apprentice for better or for worse. In the end, you can't help but share in their failures and successes—I suppose that's a kind of love in itself."

"You were lucky; I've wondered what it would've been like if I'd done more for Yakumo," Kurenai mused, catching Kaori's attention as tears began to well up in her eyes, "How much better off she could've been if I were a better mentor to her."

"I wasn't exactly being fair earlier," Kaori admitted, "You… _were_ new to being a mentor; I just didn't expect for you to fuck it up _that_ badly. I guess I expected better of you."

Kurenai heaved a heavy sigh. "I once watched Maito Gai training Rock Lee as a child," she finally said, tears of sadness rolling down her cheeks, "I dismissed his efforts as wasted, on a child that was unable to use chakra; now that boy is part of a genin team that's doing very well. Looking at your relationship with Naruto, and Gai and Lee, I understand that my lack of faith has led to my failure as a teacher. And I fear that I might fail my own team now."

"Well don't dwell on the coulda, woulda, shoulda," advised the Katon mistress, "If you're seriously sorry about what you did to Yakumo, then you can start by making amends with her; whether or not she forgives you, at least you'll be able to move on from there. After that, I'd say that you make sure you don't do it again. Have more faith in your students and until they prove otherwise, trust that they can do the job when the time comes. "

Kurenai nodded in agreement as the two of them came to a stop. Their gazes fell upon three lanky figures dangling helplessly from trees. All three of them wore form-fitting, segmented black armor that hugged their gaunt frames, and the masked helmets they wore extended into a pointed beak, giving the impression of crows. One of them wore a tattered, hooded white cloak that fluttered in the wind. All three of them seemed to have suffered battle damage, ranging from arrows embedded in their armor, to a sword or two that was jammed into the chinks of the armor.

"Looks like they're warning us," Kurenai mused.

Kaori huffed in exasperation. "Let's just move on, these things are creeping me out."

As the Uchiha and Yūhi walked past the the trees, they heard the sound of something falling to the floor. Both turned their heads, watching as the corpses picked themselves back up, reaching for their weapons. The cloaked one reached off to the side, pulling out a sword with one hand, and very large knives in the other. His partners each brandished a large pair of five-bladed claws mounted on the back of their fists.

The cloaked crow let out a resounding 'caw!' charging after Kaori. His compatriots followed closely behind, bearing down on Kurenai immediately. He thrust his sword, slashing with his knives in the offhand as she dodged the first strike. Kaori responded by ducking under the knife-swipe and jamming her cane into the crow's abdomen. Her target attempted to dodge at the last minute, taking only a glancing hit before he kicked her in the head, following through by taking a leap backwards and flinging the knives at Kaori. As soon as she recovered, Kaori hopped backwards, avoiding the knives as they streaked towards her in a wide spread.

Kurenai on the other hand had a harder time with her own opponents. The crows she fought were very nimble, managing to stay on the offense without letting her off the defense. There was a method to their madness as they swung their fist-claws at her, keeping her stuck dodging their punches; one wrong move, and she'd be rent to pieces. After seconds of evading their attacks nonstop, Kurenai tripped on her own legs. The claw-crows ran their claws through her head and her chest, causing Kurenai burst in a puff of smoke. As the smokescreen cleared, revealing that the crows had their claws stuck in a thick log.

"Just our luck!" Kaori shouted as she dodged thrusts from the long sword, her Sharingan flaring as she countered, "We finally get some tougher opponents that are smart enough to not let us use our jutsu."

"They're not even giving me a chance to breathe," Kurenai grumbled pulling out a kunai, "How rude!"

Kaori ducked under another swipe from the crow's knives before hitting the switch on her cane to turn it into the chain whip as she held it in the reverse grip. The cloaked crow hopped to the side as Kaori swung the blade, the spring-loaded chain immediately catching the tall creature in the abdomen, biting deep into armor before tearing into flesh with its bladed segments. As it recoiled from the first real hit it'd taken, Kaori thrust her free arm at the crow. Her flame detonated, engulfing and knocking back her opponent in a gout of superheated chakra, only for the crow to rebound as it roared in anger, without taking much damage.

"Oh, you've gotta be kiddin-" Kaori was cut off as the crow swiped at her with its knives, forcing her back. She was put back on the defensive as her corvine opponent continued with a flurry of thrusts.

As the claw-crows broke themselves free from the log, Kurenai tried to lead her targets away from her so that she could fight them one at a time. The two crows leaped in, attempting to catch her with a sudden movement. Kurenai ducked under their swings, before jamming a kunai into each of their knees. Undeterred by the attack on their knees, the claw-crows continued to swing away, their claws about to impale her in the openings she'd left until something pierced their hands. Kurenai had found it hard to see until she was able to see that the crows were clutching their wrists, screaming in pain; she noted that there were arrows with Raiton chakra arcing around the shaft going through their palms.

Kurenai looked around, wondering who her savior was, finding Uzumaki Naruto behind loading another arrow. He'd changed, strapping a few more plates of armor to his outfit, but this was still Uzumaki Naruto. "Hurry up!" he shouted, taking a few more shots at the claw-crows, "We've gotta save Kaori-sensei!"

"She's over there," shouted Kurenai, nodding at the opposite direction towards Kaori and her own opponent. Both fighters were unable to gain ground as the cloaked crow refused to give the Uchiha heiress any breathing room. He attacked too close for her to strike with her whip, and too fast for her to use Katon, intent on wearing her down slowly by keeping her on the defensive.

"I got this," he said firmly, drawing his bow and taking aim. He took his time, leading his shot before releasing the bowstring. The arrow streaked through the air, piercing through leather and flesh before finally ending up in the crow's kneecap. The cloaked crow cawed in pain, dropping its knives as it recoiled from the shot. A part of the spring-loaded chain found an exposed section of the creature's neck, the bladed segments biting down and shearing its head off like a bandsaw on wood.

As the decapitated corpse slumped to the ground still bleeding, Kaori turned her attention to Naruto. "Really? In the knee?"

"We'll talk later!" he almost shouted desperately, "Right now, we need to move!"

The claw-crows recovered, pulling out the kunai jammed in their knees before issuing forth an enraged cawing. As they charged their targets, Kaori and Kurenai followed Naruto, watching as he vaulted over and slid under obstacles fluidly. Whatever it was he was planning to do, they had no choice but to trust that he knew what he was doing. "Get ready to duck!" he shouted.

Kaori and Kurenai looked to each other momentarily. As they focused on running, Kaori noted that Naruto had his eyes towards the right. The Uchiha heiress caught him in the middle of a pounce mid-stride.

"Now!" Naruto shouted. In one bound, he rolled under a log, grabbing onto a ring attached to a wire and pulling hard as Kurenai and Kaori did the same. Turning around to see what it was that Naruto had planned for their pursuers, the two kunoichi spotted a thin rope tightening in the path ahead of them, just in front of the crows. As the crows tripped it, a large, thick log smashed into them from the side, sweeping them off their feet and into a pile of leaves that collapsed beneath their weight. The claw-crows gave one final, agonized 'caw' before everything went silent.

"What'd you put down there?" Kaori asked as she climbed out of hiding

"I took a _lot_ of used arrow and spear heads, then attached them to some thick branches," explained Naruto, "I wanted to make sure they stay dead."

Kurenai shivered in disgust. "A swinging log, then a punji pit. Such a barbaric way to die."

"You two come here to rescue me?" he asked, cutting straight to the point and ignoring her comment.

"That's why we're here," she confirmed.

"Now more people are trapped in here with me," sighed the blond genin, turning to leave, "Well, nothing we can do about it. Follow me, I'll take you to my hiding place."

…

[Somewhere in Otogakure]

Orochimaru sat in his laboratory, fidgeting with a vial held in his thumb and index finger, filled with a clear, deep red liquid. He'd found it in some ruins a long time ago near the borderlands between Tsuchi no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. The ruins themselves were the remains of a city, filled with an archaeological treasure trove just waiting to be examined. As evidenced by the clock tower, the people that lived there enjoyed a high level of technology, much of it being steam-powered; heaters, bikes, all sorts of things made use of pressurized steam. To that end, he'd sent a team of his archaeologists to explore the city further, in hopes of finding more interesting things.

There were also a number of curious weapons to be sure, all of which had a different form, but what truly caught his attention were those metal tubes with complicated mechanisms. Everything was furnished with wood to enable a better grip, judging by some of the samples that were in good condition. He'd even found traces of black powder inside the tubes, with blood and solidified mercury of all things. The best guess he could come up with for these complicated -and expensive- devices was that they were weapons of some sort that fired crystallized mercury for ammunition. _Still though,_ solid _mercury? A tad excessive isn't it?_ thought Orochimaru, _Not to mention expensive. How did they even_ get _solid mercury in the first place? Ah well, best leave these things for the engineers and chemists to figure out. Why the blood though?_

However, everything was trumped by the discovery of the red liquid he'd found. A deeper study under that microscope confirmed that it was blood, with some sort of abnormality in it—possibly some kind of disease. He'd yet to see the full effects of it, but it appeared that anybody that took in this blood saw a marked improvement in their physical capabilities; some got stronger, others became smarter, but everyone saw at least a marked improvement in speed and reflexes. The caveat to this was that they often went insane and became paranoid, going so far as to murder then drink their victim's blood. And it seemed that they favoured the blood of victims who had not been infused with the tainted blood.

From experiments done on the blood, Orochimaru was able to create the Curse Mark. None of the initial subjects survived the earlier experiments, but over time he was able to perfect the jutsu. He only needed to see what it was like for the victims that continued to grow with the mark, but at least he knew he had several bodies at the ready.

"What is thine intent, Our beast of a servant?" asked a dulcet, feminine voice.

The speaker was a woman in an iron mask, currently occupying his previous throne in a corner. She had pale, almost translucent skin that gave the impression of a freshly-deceased corpse, stretched over a lithe, graceful body that didn't look a day over thirty. Her long, snowy white hair flowed from a hole in the back of the mask, reaching just below her rib cage. There were no flaws on her body, to the point where it looked like she'd not done a day's work; which made the butterfly kimono she wore all the more fitting. Add to the fact that she often referred to herself in the plural, and it was clear that she was born into nobility, if not royalty.

He found her in a small castle deep within the city, sitting on a throne surrounded by multiple well-made statues. It took her a while to learn the language of the land, but she'd proven to be a quick study; at the very least, she was able to give Orochimaru her name. It was likely a corruption of her proper name to be sure, but at least he had a name attached to this masked woman that constantly looked down on him.

"I'm just thinking of this blood's potential, Anarisu," Orochimaru answered, placing the vial in a rack, "And it's all thanks to you."

"We are honored with thine praise," replied Anarisu, "If only thou hath the humility to kneel before Us."

"If you must know, my dearest queen, I'm still planning to attack my home village," said Orochimaru, remembering the protocol he was to follow when speaking to the woman, "I wish to destroy that wretched hellhole so that I can move on freely."

Anarisu leaned on her arm as she regarded Orochimaru with an aura of amusement. Somehow, it felt much more worrying than whenever she chuckled. "Then you'd best beware, my uncouth servant," she finally said, "Thou knowest not what happened to the poor little girl that survived your experiment on Our blood."

He knew who she was talking about, but Orochimaru was not concerned in the slightest. He let out a triumphant 'hmph!'. "I'm not concerned," he said, "I doubt she's even strong enough to oppose me."

"Be that as it may, I saw such potential in her with Our tainted blood," she retorted, "Thou mayst detest the normal human lifespan, but the truth of the matter is that this ephemeral life is what makes humans strong. Knowing that they could die at any given moment, they strive to make the best of their lives; becoming stronger, faster, even wiser. In a sense, We suppose it is a beautiful thing, the brief moment of a human's life. And just as humans will only strive to get stronger until their demise, so too will she one day become strong enough to best thee…my servant."

Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively, leaving the room. "Say what you will. I doubt she'll have become strong enough to take me on."

As the door closed, Anarisu chuckled lightly. "But has she…?"

…

 _ **A/N: I know, another very talk-y chapter with too few action scenes from yours truly. But seriously, it needed to get done before I could free Naruto from the Painted World.**_

 _ **And it seems that Orochimaru has discovered a certain city we all know and love. Makes you wonder, who will come out around the corner doesn't it?**_

 _ **Anyway, I give credit to UnitedOsprey1991 for helping along, even a little bit. Also, a ton of credit goes to NorthSouthGorem for beta-ing this chapter. And props to Soleneus for being a great sounding board for ideas. So give them all a butcher's, will ya guv?**_

 _ **And do please review, would you kindly?**_

…

 _ **Vocabulary**_

 _ **Densetsu no Hōkaheki—Kaori's other title means "Legendary Pyromaniac" or potentially "Legendary Arsonist."**_

…

 _ **Cameos/References**_

 _ **Naruto's weapon—he beat up a hollowfied Lawbringer from "For Honor" for his poleaxe.**_

 _ **Chesutā—pretty much Marvelous Chester, reincarnated and more evil. 'Chesutā' is the Japanese way of saying his name**_

 _ **The monsters Naruto's beaten—while in the Painted World, Naruto's effectively going through the bosses of "Devil May Cry 3" mixed in with the sort of suspense and action you'd see in "Resident Evil 4." His first mentioned win in this chapter was against Geryon the Time Steed. He's also beaten Bitores Mendez, Agni and Rudra, and El Verdugo (Salazar's executioner).**_

 _ **The crows—Corvian knights.**_

 _ **The masked woman Anarisu—bet you'll never guess…**_


	8. Steel is my Body, and Fire is my Blood

_**A/N: Welcome readers, to the conclusion to the Painted World arc.**_

 _ **I'm not gonna lie, the amount of reviews for the last chapter was at an all time low for this story. But hopefully, this chapter will compensate for that.**_

 _ **The aftermath of the Yakumo incident will probably be covered in the next chapter.**_

 _ **In any case, read and review, would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_

…

[Abandoned Warehouse]

A pre-primed black canvas sat on the easel in front of Yakumo as she rummaged through her artist's bag for the pigments she needed. Manually painting the image wasn't as fast as simply pumping her chakra into the canvas, it was simply much more powerful, reliable, and controllable. She planned to enter the Painted World herself, and she had a pretty good idea where to go to pull off her assassination. At the same time, she needed to think of a shape to take on in order to do battle with them.

Against regular opponents that had been caught off-guard in the transition into the Painted World, the usual 'trash mob' was enough; simply drowning the target in wave, after wave of low-chakra monsters should have been enough. After Yakumo had trapped Uzumaki Naruto into it, she quickly found herself focusing less on quantity and more on quality, hoping that he'd eventually be killed by a single powerful opponent. While she'd had better luck with sending 'bosses' after him -and _almost_ killing him several times!- Naruto's will had proven very strong, given how many of them he'd beaten.

The problem however, with sending the monsters out to deal with the target was that they were only as strong as the amount of chakra Yakumo invested in them, and were uncontrollable. In addition, they were only capable of utilizing the chakra they were given. This meant that the bosses needed a lot of her chakra to even call forth, and were unable to get stronger.

The only good thing was that people trapped in the Painted World didn't get the same increase in power. The amount of chakra they could use there was proportional to the amount of chakra their reserves could handle, and Uzumaki seemed to have _vast_ reserves. The same could be said of Kurenai and her bespectacled friend―their own reserves were not as impressive as Uzumaki's but it was more than enough for them to breeze through a lot of trash mobs.

Conversely, it became less of an issue if Yakumo were to take charge of the narrative herself. The strength of her monsters increased exponentially to the amount of chakra she used to summon them. Thus, if she were to enter the Painted World as a monster, she could theoretically become overpowered there if she entered with all the chakra she could muster.

Focusing her thoughts went back to the task at hand, Yakumo worked quickly to paint the colors of a dusk sky. She focused her mind on one particular individual, thinking of her white robes and her veil. It wouldn't matter where she was, she could always have the painting open a portal to the girl in white's current position. _She_ is _a part of me after all._

As her0 strokes began to slow down, Yakumo gazed upon the finished painting. Standing outside in the temple courtyard was the person she was looking for. While the veil hid her face from view, the Kurama heiress knew the girl in white was looking back at her from the canvas. She always seemed to know exactly when she wanted to see her. Still, in order to increase her odds of success, she needed her cooperation to help even the odds in her favor.

Yakumo channeled as much chakra into her body as she could gather before touching the painting, engulfing her vision with blinding light before she found herself in front of her target. The girl in white simply stood in front of her, staring back at her through the veil. "It's been a long time," she groused, folding her arms under her bust, "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"You and I have unfinished business," Yakumo declared, "And until we get past it, I won't have my revenge against Kurenai and the village."

If the hostess were phased by Yakumo, she did little to show it. "Go ahead and tell yourself that; you can't hide from the truth forever."

"We both know what Kurenai and the Hokage did to us, and yet you still defend them," Yakumo accused, "We should be working _together_ to get revenge."

"Still lying to yourself, I see," the girl in white sighed in exasperation.

"And you're still being indecisive," Yakumo shot back, "I don't like the way you just sit by the wayside, while _I_ plan our revenge—like you don't even care. But I really need to merge with you right now, and I _will_ get you to help me, whether you like it or not."

"You _do_ realize that if we do this, there's no turning back?" warned the hostess, "You need to be _absolutely_ sure of that decision. By merging our minds, you will become more than powerful enough to enact your revenge. However, you will eventually lose much of the power you've built up for this day, and totally lose any ability to use chakra for a long time. And you can't just banish me from your mind again just so you can keep your strength; we'll be fused together forever." As she spoke, she folded the veil over her head. Yakumo found herself looking back at her own reflection, staring with a searching gaze. "So I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that you won't regret this decision."

There was a firm resolution in Yakumo as she looked back into the Hostess's eyes. "I'm sure of it."

The mirror-image sighed in resignation, offering her hand to Yakumo. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Yakumo reached out for her clone's hand, grabbing onto it firmly. She could feel the chakra surging into her body, adding to her already considerable reserves. Her mirror image faded away as the Kurama heiress absorbed her chakra.

…

[Somewhere in Konoha]

Chesutā stood atop a particularly tall building, looking down upon the village with expectant eyes through a telescope. It wouldn't be long now: once the Kurama heiress settled her debt with him, all traces of this village would cease to exist, as it should have been twelve years ago. It was the perfect plan, even more so assuming the Bijū managed to kill her too at the end of this. Still, he needed to ensure that the plan went on smoothly; he _did_ have a client to please, after all.

His sights fell upon a shinobi guard tower. The posted guard yawned, hand covering his mouth before resuming his watch. Satisfied with his target, Chesutā propped up his fork rest and readied a bolt before lining up his shot. With a pull of the trigger, a long arrow streaked silently towards its target, piercing the skull. Nobody seemed to notice that a guardsman had been killed.

Chesutā grinned triumphantly under his mask. Once he was done ensuring that the village was defenseless, the next phase was to leave before he himself was killed in the fox's eventual rampage. Chesutā's client had demanded that Konoha be nothing but a smear in the ground so that he could sell the land as real estate to the highest bidder. His compensation was 2.5% of whatever profits the client would make off the sale: 1% for the job, an extra 1% for taking care of all witnesses, and a bonus of .5% to buy his silence. _An ambitious project to be sure,_ he thought, loading another bolt into his crossbow, looking for nearby targets through his telescope, _And I must agree, this is indeed a…colorless sort of village; a tad too peaceful for my liking. But perhaps I can liven things up with the people's screams as their worst nightmares come true?_

"Is it really that goddamn fun to be shooting defenseless guards like that?" growled a feminine voice from behind him.

 _Bloody hell,_ he thought. Chesutā turned to have a look at his guest, reaching into the breast pocket of his jacket. She had purple hair done up like a pineapple, and glared at him with no small modicum of rage in her brown eyes. There wasn't much under the trench coat she wore except for a fishnet mesh, and a pair of short-shorts. Her hitai-ate was worn around her forehead, and she had a kunai in hand. "So the Hokage sends a woman after me," Chesutā taunted, "I'm touched."

"You're lucky I was ordered to bring you in alive," snapped the woman, "If I had it my way, I'd have tortured you to death, whether or not you had information on hand."

"Well, I suppose that makes you Mitarashi Anko," drawled the wicked nobleman.

"And you're Subarashī Chesutā, high-class mercenary and assassin," Anko noted, "You're guilty for a shitload of murders. I'm _so_ gonna enjoy interrogating you."

Chesutā scoffed. "That assumes you can capture me, my dear."

Whatever words Anko had for her target were put on hold when Chesutā flung three objects at her from his breast pocket. As she rolled under the volley, Anko stood up to take a swipe at her opponent with her kunai, only to be kicked across the face. As she recovered from the counterattack, Anko pushed aside the massive crossbow, just as Chesutā pulled the trigger. As her opponent tried to right himself, Anko followed through by stabbing at Chesutā's leg with her kunai―her opponent barely had a chance to dodge, but his hard leather armor deflected the blow. Anko wasn't finished however; she thrust her arm in front of Chesutā's face. "Sen'ei Jashu!"

Chesutā bent backwards from the barrage of snakes rushing out of Anko's sleeve, throwing another salvo of metal darts at her, forcing them both to evade and break off. As he stood a few feet away from Anko, staring at her through his mask as Chesutā reached for another bolt. "This is interesting," he purred, loading his crossbow.

Anko changed the grip on her kunai, holding it ready in the reverse-grip. "I'll make you talk, one way or another," she declared, brandishing her dagger.

The two fighters stood at the ready, waiting for each other to make the first move as they caught their breath.

…

[Painted World]

"What do you mean I've only been here for an hour?!" Naruto shouted in disbelief, guiding Kaori and Kurenai through his hidden traps. He'd unsheathed his machete, using it to gently push aside foliage.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I'm guessing that it's because you're in a totally different world," Kurenai offered, ducking under a branch, "I wouldn't be surprised if time worked differently here."

Naruto took a deep breath as he stepped over a hidden snare. "Yeah, but I've been here for like a month, and now you're telling me that it's actually been an hour? That's hard to swallow, dattebayo."

"It also explains the dead bodies we found when we got here," Kaori added, following Naruto, "They were all too badly rotten to have been dead for an hour."

"We're almost there," Naruto announced, pushing away the last branch, "It's not much, but…"

Naruto froze momentarily, watching as his hostess stood in the courtyard of the temple, with her hand held in a stranger's. He ran towards the temple with Kaori and Kurenai in tow, only to slow to a stop while shielding his eyes from the blinding flash of light that filled his vision. As he gradually lowered his arms, the light began to subside, revealing a form he knew all too well. It'd been about a month, but he still recognized the brown hair and the purple overcoat. A cursory glance at the area showed that the hostess was no longer around.

Unsheathing his longsword, Naruto pointed the tip of his blade at the mistress of the Painted World. "What'd you do with her?" he asked menacingly.

"She and I were the same person to begin with," answered the painter girl tersely, turning to face Naruto, "You could say that she was my other half. And now that we're together again in the same body, I can take you on."

"Yakumo!" Kurenai called, getting the girl's attention.

"Kurenai-sensei," noted the painter, a hint of venom in her voice, "How good to finally see you again after all these years."

"You know her?" Naruto asked, without taking his eyes off Yakumo.

"She was once my student," explained Kurenai, "I was asked to teach her how to control her kekkei genkai; in the end, her power had proved too powerful to control."

"And you abandoned me for that," Yakumo finished, "After that, it only went downhill from there."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in contempt. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"After killing my parents, the Hokage sealed me away then tried to kill me…for the 'safety of the village'," Yakumo added, apparently taking in Naruto's shock and disbelief.

Seeing an opening for her attack, she quickly pushed the sword away before grabbing Naruto by the throat. "And once I've killed you, I plan to have my revenge…on Kurenai, the Hokage, and the whole village for everything it's taken from me."

A bright light engulfed the entire area, filling Naruto's vision with a blinding white. As his vision began to clear up, the first thing he noticed was that he was no longer in the temple grounds. The grassy courtyard was replaced with smooth marble, as statues of miniature dragons stood witness to the round arena. He could see the sky, and the clouds billowed past, giving the impression that Naruto was very high. In the center of the ring was an inset ruby looking straight up into the sky.

"Naruto!" cried the voice of Kurenai to his left.

Naruto looked left to see Kurenai panicking from a television screen, Kaori-sensei doing the same in a separate screen to his right. "What the hell…?"

"I'm sorry, did you think I was going to let the three of you team up on me?" asked a smug Yakumo, a triumphant gaze fixed on Naruto as her skin took on a darker shade, "I'll start by killing you first, Uzumaki Naruto. Once I'm done with you, Kurenai's next."

{Play: "Vergil Battle 2" by Tetsuya Shibata, from "Devil May Cry 3"}

Naruto readied his flame in the offhand, watching as Yakumo's clothes began to transform with her. The smooth, pink silk of her overcoat transformed into tattered, gray burlap as it began to form a hood around her head while the sleeves grew to her elbows. Her fishnet mesh armor had turned into a form-fitting hardened leather suit that gave a reasonable amount of protection without encumbering her movements. The cloth of the gi gave melded into metal pauldrons, a cuirass, gauntlets, and greaves, adding to the protection she currently enjoyed. Overall, her new outfit was more cloth and leather than metal armor, giving the impression of a wizard that was kitted out for a full-on war.

At the same time, Yakumo's skin darkened to a deep brown. Amber eyes faded into blood red rubies that glowed against argent hair. A long staff with a spiked bottom and a large jewel on the top materialized in her left hand, while a small shield with a wide, double-edged blade formed over her right. "Here in this world, I'm the master of reality," explained Yakumo, her voice taking on a flange as she began to levitate, "In this place, my will is law. Whatever I want, it will give; and right now, I want to pay back my savior with your death."

A streamlined helmet materialized around Yakumo's face as she began to hover backwards, pointing the jewel of her staff at Naruto to fire a small bolt of chakra at him. Naruto rolled away from the shot, answering with his own fireball—the ball split into multiple smaller pieces, all of which exploded on the ground next to Yakumo. As she veered to the side from the explosion, Yakumo watched as Naruto focused chakra into his legs to close in on her, both hands on his longsword as he rushed her in a low stance.

Focusing chakra into her staff, Yakumo created a gigantic blade from the jewel before sweeping low, hoping to force Naruto back. Instead, he leaped over the chakra blade, preparing to stab her with his longsword upon landing. Yakumo parried the sword with her wrist blade, using the same motion to get her staff into position. She fired four bursts of five chakra bolts at him, to cover a tactical retreat before slowing to a stop a few meters behind her. As Naruto cartwheeled away from the barrage of chakra bolts, he summoned his flame back into his hand to throw a larger fireball at the ground behind her; the explosion was much larger, pushing Yakumo towards him. Rushing her again, Naruto brought out his machete to parry away her wrist blade before thrusting his longsword into her back. As the tip of the blade ran through her, Yakumo vanished in a burst of light before impaling Naruto on her wrist blade. As she raised his body over her head, Naruto burst into flames, blinding and burning Yakumo slightly.

As she recovered, she was hit from behind with a large explosion that knocked her off-balance, while burning her back. Were it not for the cuirass and the leather armor, she would have been singed badly. She turned to face Naruto, rage in her eyes. "How the hell are you dodging me?" she demanded.

"Man, I hate to admit it, you actually did me a favor this whole month, dattebayo!" Naruto answered triumphantly, "Yeah, those monsters I ran into were a pain to kill, and they _did_ almost kill me sometimes, but every fight also made me stronger. You might be the boss of this world, but you just got here! What'd you expect?!"

Yakumo simmered in her anger as she glared at Naruto through the visor of her helmet, watching as he quickly flew through hand seals. "Katon: Kasai Bunshin no Jutsu!" Six pillars of flame erupted from the ground, creating seven duplicates of Naruto that rushed Yakumo with large swords in hand. When they were within range, Yakumo conjured forth the giant blade, dispelling six of the Kasai Bunshin in a single retreating sweep, all of them detonating into bursts of flame. The seventh Naruto leaped over the resulting smokescreen, bringing his blade down on Yakumo's wrist, only to be impaled on her wrist blade. As he burst into flames, Yakumo hovered forward, barely avoiding the slash aimed at her from behind before she blasted the other Kasai Bunshin with another salvo of chakra bolts.

As she searched for her target, Yakumo watched as Naruto moved in from her right flank, swinging his sword up to slice the jeweled head off her staff, before bringing it back down on her. Yakumo brought her shield up just in time to deflect the blow, countering with a punch to run Naruto through with her wrist blade, forcing him to duck before rolling away. Standing back up, Naruto threw a volley of kunai and shuriken at Yakumo with his free hand, forcing his opponent to back away. With enough space between them, Naruto sheathed his longsword to fly through hand seals, conjuring forth six Kasai Bunshin, all of whom had their hankyū at the ready.

"Let's do this!" announced one of the bunshin. The seven of them nocked an arrow in their bows before running randomly around Yakumo. The first Bunshin to fire aimed at her head, the arrow shattering upon impact with her shield; however, the second Bunshin fired an arrow at her shoulder, punching into her pauldron but knocking her around slightly. The third and fourth shots streaked toward her knees, deflecting off her greaves. The fifth Bunshin rushed her from the front, sliding under a swipe of Yakumo's wrist blade to fire a shot upward at her helmet. Before the sixth Kasai Bunshin could fire, Yakumo drove her wrist blade into the archer's abdomen, causing him to burst into blinding flame. The seventh and final Kasai Bunshin finished by firing an arrow down at Yakumo's face, smashing into splinters against her helmet and disorienting her from the impact.

"How do you like my Kasai Tōzoku-dan?" asked one of the Naruto duplicates, running past Yakumo to fire another arrow at her. She deflected the arrow with her shield, and followed through with the motion by backhanding the clone with it. As he went flying, the clone detonated a good distance away from her.

"Serves you right for chickening away from me so much," added another, vaulting over and firing an arrow at her shoulder from behind. Yakumo dodged the shot, before conjuring forth another jeweled staff in her hand, detonating three clones from afar with more salvos of chakra bolts. She was unable to enjoy her momentary victory, as two arrows penetrated her forearm, before a third pierced her hand, eliciting a scream of pain.

"No more jutsu!" cried another clone over the shriek. He was decapitated with one swing of Yakumo's wrist blade, and his body kicked away before it could detonate in her face. A sixth was stabbed through the face before she followed through with a slash at the Naruto behind her. The final Naruto stood from afar, a blazing arrow loaded in his bow. "Katon: Kasen no Jutsu!" The flaming arrow streaked towards Yakumo, detonating on the ground in front of her. The large blast radius knocked her into a nearby pillar.

Naruto readied another arrow, pulling the string in preparation for a definitive kill shot as he edged carefully towards Yakumo's unconscious body. _C'mon, just give up already,_ he pleaded to her silently.

Yakumo opened her eyes, sweeping at Naruto's ankles with a thin blade of chakra coming from the jeweled head of her new staff. He hopped over the slash, reflexively releasing the bowstring to fire another arrow and barely missing her before ducking under a recovery slash aimed at his head. As Naruto reached for another arrow, Yakumo kicked him before slamming her shield into his face, sending him flying to the side. Recovering from the blow, Naruto loaded an arrow in his bow just in time to to fire it into Yakumo's neck.

The Kurama heiress slumped onto her knees. Her body burst into smoke as it hit the ground. Naruto turned to watch as Yakumo ran her wrist blade through his gut before kicking him off. Still not finished with her kill, she raised her staff in the air, focusing chakra into the jewel. As her opponent tried to crawl away, a large, black chakra bolt streaked towards Naruto, tearing a large hole through his chest.

"NARUTO!" Kaori shrieked, watching as her student died before her eyes. She pounded her fists against the screen in a futile effort to reach Naruto.

Kurenai covered her mouth in horror at what had just happened. A light mumbling could be heard as she spoke through her hands, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Now that that annoyance is out of the way, it's time for you, Kurenai- _sensei_!" Yakumo chuckled victoriously, turning her attention to the kunoichi, "And once I'm done with you, I'll take my time with your new friend!"

Yakumo raised her staff towards the screen with Kurenai. As she charged chakra into the jewel, she noted that her former teacher's gaze was behind her. Turning around to see what Kurenai was looking at, Yakumo had an expression of utter shock on her face. Uzumaki was propped up with his longsword; it was an effort for him to stand on trembling legs.

"How are you still alive?" she asked angrily, raising her staff at him.

There was no answer from her opponent. Yakumo streaked towards Naruto, intent on decapitating him with her wrist blade. Instead of running, Naruto channeled Katon chakra into his sword, igniting the blade before planting the sword into the ground tip-first. Yakumo found herself caught in a massive surge of flames that consumed the entire world like a tsunami; she reflexively closed her eyes to shield them from the blinding light.

…

[Abandoned Warehouse]

The remnants of Teams Kurenai and Uchiha waited outside for Shino's Kikaichu to return from scouting the building's interior. Akamaru's nose had guided them to the abandoned warehouse five minutes ago, waiting to see what else was in there before moving in. It was a dilapidated old building, with the subtle stench of urine here and there from being temporarily occupied by homeless people several times in its lifespan. Judging by the remains of wooden frames near the exit, as well as the torn canvas sheets, this used to be a canvas factory.

Four bugs flew out the window, returning immediately to Shino. Three of them went into his sleeves, while a last one landed on his finger, staying for a moment before following the others. "What did your bugs see in there?" Taka asked Shino.

"There's nobody in there," Shino began, "All they found was a collection of paintings around a stool. Ergo, it's logical to assume that we just missed her."

"Even so, we'd better proceed with caution," Taka replied, "We don't know who or what is still in there, so let's keep surprise on our side."

Kira snorted in response. "And I say we surround the place, bust in, then question the bitch before she gets away."

"Not unless you _want_ her to know we're here!" Hanabi argued, "We're here to _rescue_ Naruto-kun, and if she gets away, then he's gone for good. So I agree with Taka on this; we find a way to go in quiet, then surprise her when we get _inside_."

Taka held her chin in thought. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she turned her attention back to the assembled Genin. "As much as I hate to admit it, Kira's right; I doubt there's a way we can sneak in there, so we're going to surround the area and go loud. That's probably the best way we can catch anybody else in there off-guard." She then turned her attention to Shino. "Can you send your bugs to cover other possible exits?"

"I can," Shino answered, pushing up his sunglasses.

"Then send as many as you can to wait in the sewers," Taka said, "If we're going to go in, we'll need to cover every possible escape route she could take."

"I'll leave several swarms in wait at all the entrances and the sewers, while the rest stay with me," Shino replied.

Taka nodded in assent. "Do that. Hanabi, you take the east door; Kira, you're taking west. Shino, stand by the south entrance, keep in contact with your bugs and catch her if she comes your way. I'm coming in from the north entrance. If we don't see anybody, then we meet at the paintings in the middle of the warehouse."

As the three kunoichi ran to position, Shino sent three small swarms of kikaichū after his colleagues. Two smaller columns of kikaichū were sent into the storm drains to keep an eye out for their mark.

" _Waiting at the north entrance,"_ Taka announced from the communicator.

" _Hanabi here, standing by at the east."_

" _Kira and Akamaru, ready and waiting."_

Shino thumbed the PTT button on his communicator around his neck. "Traps are all set."

" _Get ready to bust in on my mark,"_ Taka said, tensions rising as the seconds ticked away.

" _Now!"_

Shino could hear the sound of wooden doors being kicked down as the three kunoichi shrieked, hoping to panic whoever was still inside. When he heard no response, he waited outside, expecting someone to come crashing through the door and into one of his traps. " _We're clear! Come in, Shino."_

Relieved that his trap was not necessary, Shino summoned back all his kikaichū as he explored the factory. There were many blank painting canvases as far as the eye could see, all of which came in a variety of colors, and shapes and sizes. He didn't have to wait long until he saw the first few paintings; the first one that he noticed was of Naruto standing behind a barricade as humanoid monsters made way for a shambling samurai in armor, with a serrated katana in hand. The painting next to it depicted Naruto standing victorious over the samurai's destroyed body.

As he examined the paintings, Shino noted that they all told a story somehow; as though Naruto were a legendary hero, conquering all-powerful monsters throughout his journeys. The story came to an end when he found Taka, Hanabi, and Kira and Akamaru standing around a painting, which could be considered the tragic ending to the "Legend of Uzumaki Naruto". Naruto lay on the ground dead, his apparent killer's back turned to him.

Given what they'd been told by Kurenai about Yakumo's powers, it was a heartbreaking sight. "Come on, we need to go," said Taka, coldly taking control of the situation.

"At least give us some time, you insensitive bitch!" Kira snapped, her face burning with rage.

"If you've got the time to cry, then you've got time to catch the bitch that did this!" Taka countered, "We need to find Yakumo and catch her before she does this to someone else. When she's sentenced to no less than time in Juvenile Hall, _then_ we can cry for Naruto."

"Uhh, guys?" Hanabi called, getting everyone's attention, "Something's happening!"

Shino turned his attention to the painting, noticing that a corner of the canvas had caught fire. The fire spread quickly through the canvas, burning away the painting. Anything he would have said was frozen in place when he noticed that _all_ the paintings had spontaneously combusted.

…

[Konoha National Park]

Hinata kept watch over the painting. So far, nobody had come by the gazebo, which was fortunate; at the very least, there was no collateral damage. Still, she couldn't help but feel a stab in her heart. _Has something happened to Naruto-kun?_

Before she could think any further on the matter, her thoughts were interrupted by something catching fire behind her. Hinata turned her attention to the canvas, hoping that she was hearing things―luck was not on her side, as the painting was somehow set on fire. She panicked as the flames quickly consumed the entire canvas; on the one hand, she needed to put out the flames somehow. On the other, she needed to avoid touching the painting or else she'd be trapped inside with Naruto, Kurenai, and Kaori.

As the painting burned, Hinata noted that the image on the canvas was starting to change. The surface of the painting cracked, and fluttered away with the wind, revealing only the primed canvas below. The image that painted itself on the canvas was an empty land, filled with weapons planted in an ashen ground dotted with clumps of pink flowers. Off in the distance, she could make out the walls of some kind of mountain stretching out into the back. However, her attention was more focused on the center of the painting: in the middle of the weapon graveyard was a sputtering bonfire with a sword planted into it. Splitting the dusky sky was a pillar of light that pointed up from the bonfire towards an annular solar eclipse; as though there were a connection between them.

Having a closer look at the canvas, Hinata's eyes made out two shadowy figures sitting in front of the dying bonfire. She could not see who it was, but she could get a sense of loneliness from the painting.

…

[Kiln of the First Flame]

As she opened her eyes, Yakumo noted that they were no longer on the tower. The marble flooring was replaced with an ash-covered ground, and weapons dug into the ground like headstones. She saw patches of flowers and destroyed trees dotting the area, as though in offering for every warrior buried in this soot-covered graveyard. Off in the distance, she saw Uzumaki Naruto sitting in front of a bonfire, longsword planted in the ground as though waiting for her. The hole in his chest was nowhere to be found; it was as though time had been rewound simply to heal his injuries.

To the side, Yakumo saw that Kurenai and her bespectacled friend were also in the area. Before she could move to kill them both, the Kurama heiress felt a sharp headache; as though someone had split her skull with an axe. She could briefly see images floating through her mind of her parents; how they looked at her in fear.

"Welcome, strangers," announced a voice from behind, startling the three kunoichi. The person in question was a tall woman in a hood. Her armor consisted of metal gauntlets, greaves, and pauldrons, fitted over a practical dress for combat. Underneath the armor, they could see signs that this was a woman who could handle herself in combat—a lithe, toned, athletic frame spoke of a hidden power.

The woman had warm, caramel-colored skin that was complemented with vivid, orange hair that spilled out from her hood. She was blindfolded, but Yakumo in particular was intimidated by this woman. It didn't help that her face was streamlined like a predator on the hunt.

"What's going on here?" Yakumo asked, confused as to the change in scenery, "Where are we?"

"You're not in _your_ mindscape anymore," answered the woman, before pointing towards Naruto, "You're in _his_. You'll have to kill him _here_ if you want to leave."

Whatever trepidation Yakumo had felt earlier melted away into confidence as she sneered wickedly. "Fine then. I've killed him once before, I'll just do it again!"

Yakumo mustered the chakra to hover above the ground, speeding towards Naruto with the intent to finish him off quickly with her wrist blade. As she did, the hooded woman smirked. "Can you?"

As she approached, Naruto stood up, pulling his longsword out of the ground as he turned to face Yakumo. Flames snaked from the bonfire to engulf him, covering his body in golden fire before dispersing to reveal Uzumaki encased in a suit of armor. The suit was made up of multiple overlapping plates of black metal that covered Naruto's entire body, with a large v-shaped neck guard protruding from the breastplate. His face was covered in a multi-part helmet with a skull-shaped visor, which served as both protection and intimidation. Tied to his shoulders was a tattered black cape that fluttered in the wind behind him. Overall, he gave the impression of a dark warrior that had just survived being burned.

{Play: "Dragon Slayer" by Susumu Hirasawa, from "Berserk 2016"}

Naruto shifted his stance in preparation to counterattack. His sword was held high, the tip leveled at his opponent as he inched closer towards her. Yakumo opened with a right hook, hoping to stab him with her wrist blade. Naruto's response was to swing his blade upwards to parry the wrist blade, staggering Yakumo before bringing it back down to slice the head off her staff. Taking advantage of her momentary loss of focus, he shoulder-tackled her before knocking Yakumo back with a side-kick into a destroyed tree trunk.

As she shook herself back into consciousness, Yakumo reached to her side, focusing chakra into her hand to create another jeweled staff. The look of befuddlement was clear on her face as she wondered why she was unable to summon it again. "None of that!" shouted the hooded woman.

Naruto leaped into the air, intent on bisecting Yakumo in one fell swoop. Yakumo rolled away, barely managing to avoid the cut. As she tried to avoid his onslaught, the hooded woman continued to shout at her. "You're in _his_ world now, that means you can only use whatever chakra you entered with! Allowing you to summon staves as you please will only sully the sanctity of this duel!"

Yakumo panicked as she watched Naruto, shouldering his blade as he strode calmly towards her. In her terror, she thought she'd seen the outline of a giant, burning warrior walking in step behind him. The hulking monster wore mismatched plates of armor, but she could see that it had an almost skeletal frame under the chainmail. The burned helmet had a visor that looked like it was about to weep, and it incorporated some sort of crown at the top.

Consumed with fear, Yakumo reached out to the side to grab a random weapon that she found was heavy. Desperation gave her the strength to pull hard on it and swinging wildly once Naruto got within reach, creating some distance between them as he was forced back. With a small chance to inspect her weapon, Yakumo noted that she'd picked up a large hatchet, which was light enough to be paired with her wrist blade.

Naruto slipped into a stance, the tip of his blade pointing towards the ground, waiting for Yakumo's next move. She charged Naruto, hoping to catch him off-guard with her axe, only for him to grab the sword by the blade and catch the hatchet by the beard mid-swing. With Yakumo caught off-guard by the sudden movement, Naruto pulled on the longsword to toss the axe before striking with the guard. As she ducked under the first swing, Yakumo ducked under the second swing as it came around before positioning herself to stab Naruto with her wrist blade.

Backing away slightly, Naruto parried the wrist blade with his machete. Their blades were locked, but he had the advantage as a dual-wielder. Naruto tried to hit Yakumo in the nose with the pommel of his longsword, forcing her back and switching the grip on his machete to quickly slash at her. As she recovered from dodging the slashes, Yakumo flew through one-handed seals to fling bolts of raw chakra at her opponent as she retreated. Naruto ducked under the shots, before thrusting with his longsword.

…

"What a stupid girl," muttered the hooded woman, watching as Yakumo barely deflected the longsword with her shield, "She picked a fight knowing that she's losing chakra quickly."

Kurenai stared at the hooded woman. "What do you mean?"

"I can sense that her chakra levels are decreasing rapidly," explained the woman, "That tells me she's overloaded her chakra coils with more chakra than she can safely handle."

Kaori kept her eyes on the fight. To accomplish such a thing was no mean feat in any shape or form; in theory, it would give the shinobi who did it a tremendous amount of power. However, in practice, it put a massive strain on the user's chakra coils. People often suffered from being unable to use their chakra coils at all, assuming that jutsu overuse didn't kill them first. At the rate Yakumo was going, not only would she do some permanent damage to her chakra coils, but she would eventually tire out and become easy prey for Naruto. Such was the fate of a shinobi that depended too much on jutsu to fight their battles.

"How do you know all this?" Kurenai asked.

"I wasn't always trapped in this world," the woman admitted, "And it wasn't always so melancholic around here. Up until the First Flame awoke in Naruto, it was very cramped. Now, I have room to stretch my legs and a few creature comforts here and there; still doesn't change the fact that I'm still a prisoner."

"What's happening to Naruto?" Kaori inquired, concerned for her own student.

"Because he was slain, the spirit of the First Flame has taken over his body," answered the hooded woman, as Naruto threw a large fireball at Yakumo, "To that end, it has also gifted him with a suit of armor to be called upon when he finds the skill to do so."

Kaori looked at the hooded woman with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity in her eyes. "First Flame?"

"Literally the very first flame in the world," answered the woman, "In a time before history, the world was covered in fog and titanic trees. I was told it was a dull age, when immortal dragons only lived to sleep the centuries away…everything changed when the First Flame was lit, bringing with it light and darkness. With that, came all life; first the gods, then mankind. Some people called it the 'Flame of Disparity.'"

"So what happens now?" asked Kurenai, going back to the subject.

The woman snorted. "The Flame will keep its control over Naruto until it wins the battle; once it wins, it will go dormant again. In the meantime, it's healing all of his wounds and trying to resuscitate him."

As the fight raged on before them, Kaori and Kurenai watched as Naruto was knocked back with a kick, his longsword and machete flying out of his hands from a well-timed backhand. Seeing her opportunity to strike back, Yakumo thrust with her wrist blade, only for Naruto to pull a nearby axe out of the ground. As he swung the blade horizontally, Yakumo was forced to skid to a halt just to avoid being cut across the chest. Recovering from the missed strike, Naruto changed grips on his axe to attack with the pommel to stun Yakumo, before hefting her up with the haft and pushing her into a tall tree stump. While she slumped to the ground from the impact, Naruto kneed Yakumo in the face before tossing her aside by the neck.

"How does he even know how to fight like that?" asked the Uchiha heiress, shocked at the sheer level of brutality her student displayed. _And I'm pretty damn sure Tenten never taught him that!_ she added to herself.

"Every weapon in this graveyard carries with them the souls and memories of their owners," the woman noted, "It just so happens that the previous owner of that axe was a savage raider. The foolish girl over there can't access those memories, and Naruto can't yet; but the spirit of the First Flame can."

…

Yakumo backed away from Naruto; the staff had allowed her to bypass the need for hand seals, acting as a catalyst for her to use jutsu almost instantaneously. Without it, she was forced to fly through one-handed seals quickly as her opponent charged with his axe. Completing a sequence, Yakumo summoned a long chakra blade from her hand to slash Naruto across the chest. He leaped over Yakumo and landed behind her to decapitate her, only for the Kurama heiress to duck under the axe head and sever the haft into three sections. Naruto backflipped over the fourth slash, landing several feet away before picking up a shield and sword. He parried a slash from her wrist blade before stabbing into Yakumo's torso, eliciting a pained yelp from her.

Pulling Yakumo towards him on his sword, Naruto kicked her off the blade. In response, she retreated while blasting him with a salvo of chakra bolts as he raised his shield in defense. The barrage had completely destroyed the shield, while taking out several parts of the armor and bits of his body, covering the area in smoke. Much to her horror, the damage began to regenerate quickly, while the armor reformed and repaired itself around him. Once he recovered, Naruto discarded the sword and shield in favour of a large, sleek and intricate blade, with subtle wolf motifs carved into it.

Naruto closed in quickly, the man-sized sword held behind him as he rushed her. She wasted no time forming more hand seals with her free hand, forming the swift and slender chakra blade. Naruto leaped and used his massive blade to propel himself into a forward somersault before severing Yakumo's arm mid-swing. As she screamed in pain, Uzumaki kicked her into a tree.

Before she could escape, Naruto lifted Yakumo over his head by the neck, launching her in the air with a high-explosive burst of flame. As her body entered shock from being burned, her life began to flash before her eyes; memories she'd forgotten began to resurface. At the time she'd lost control of her powers, she painted a picture of her house on fire before touching it. In that moment, Yakumo felt as though she'd been stabbed in the heart as she realized she'd murdered her own parents.

…

With his opponent dead, Naruto planted the tip of the wolf-sword into the ground, while Yakumo's corpse hit the ground, badly charred and smouldering. He clutched his head, hissing in pain as the armor dissipated from his body. Instead, he wore the clothes he had on when he first entered the Painted World.

"I feel like shit, dattebayo…" he moaned through the agony. He could feel a rush of memories flooding his head with scenes from the entire fight; bringing Yakumo into the Kiln, wearing a black suit of armor, as well as the rage from wearing it. Then there were also the memories he'd gotten from his weapons.

As the memories of the fight settled in his mind, Naruto turned to hazard a glance at Yakumo's corpse. A part of him wondered why she did what she did to him. Another simply believed she got what she deserved. He noticed that her body began to glow white, until his vision was filled with a blinding flash.

As he lowered his arms to see what had happened, Naruto saw the hostess standing before him. He had many questions for her, but they were put on hold when he saw her arm move. She reached for the veil, and pulled it over her head to reveal Yakumo's face looking back at him. There was a grateful smile on her face as she observed him; it looked as though she'd never done battle with him at all.

"What the hell's going on here?" he asked, stupefied.

"You helped me do the mistress that big favor," answered the hostess, "By defeating her, you weakened her dark side enough for me to put it back where it belongs. With the dark side no longer in charge, now Yakumo must come to terms with fact that she killed her own parents."

Naruto sighed in sadness. "So what happens now?"

The grateful grin on the hostess's face dipped slightly. "Now I have to help her make peace with herself. It's probably gonna take a while, but I'll set her straight. At least it'll take her mind off the fact that merging with me messed up her chakra coils."

"She can't ever be a shinobi again?"

"It's not permanent," assured the hostess, "She'll just be unable to use chakra for a long time. Make no mistake; once her coils recover, I'll do everything I can to help her atone for her crimes. And I'll see to it that she makes up for what she did to you, and everyone else she'd hurt."

As she spoke, the hostess began to fade away. "Our time's up. Because you won against Yakumo's dark side, there's no reason for me to stay. We'll never forget what you did for us, Uzumaki Naruto."

She then looked over his shoulder. "Farewell, Kurenai-sensei. We'll meet again soon."

Naruto turned to see that Kaori and Kurenai had approached with the Firekeeper as Yakumo's light side completely vanished. The Firekeeper placed a calming hand on his shoulder with a mysterious half-smile on her face. The first thing he noted was that she towered over both Kaori and Kurenai by a head. Barring the blindfold, and the somewhat conservative outfit she wore, the Firekeeper was very easy on the eyes.

"It's time for you to go too," she said gently, as Naruto and the kunoichi began to fade away themselves, "Take the memories of the Painted World with you, and use these experiences to become stronger in the real world. One day, you'll be worthy of the armor the Flame has given you; but until that day comes, get stronger."

"Who are you?" Kaori asked, curious as to the woman's identity.

"I have many names," answered the Firekeeper, "I prefer Kurama, but you humans will know me as the Kyūbi no Yoko."

…

 _ **A/N: And that's a wrap!**_

 _ **The chapter is done, and on Halloween too; kinda fitting too, if you think of it. Sadly, there's no candy here, but a healthy dose of of costume-changing.**_

 _ **Anyway, credit goes to Soleneus and NorthSouthGorem for their help, so give them both a round of applause, and a visit.**_

 _ **And as always, don't hesitate to review so long as you keep it civil, would you kindly?**_

…

 _ **Vocabulary/Translations**_

 _ **Kasai Tōzoku-dan—"Fire Bandit Gang"**_

…

 _ **Cameos/References**_

 _ **The armor of the First Flame—Skull Knight's version of the Berserker Armor**_

 _ **Axe style—the Raider from "For Honor"**_

 _ **Greatsword—the Greatsword of Artorias…or the Wolf Knight's Greatsword if you like.**_


	9. Necessary Downtime

_**A/N: This is a wrap-up chapter, which means I intend to tie up some loose ends here. If you're concerned about me staying too close to canon, then you can allay your fears here; I'm planning to diverge a little further from this point on.**_

 _ **In any case, do read and review, would you kindly? And keep it classy!**_

…

[Unknown Location]

Chesutā's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry. As his view began to clear, the first thing he'd noted was that his wrists and ankles were bound. There was a slight strain on his arms and legs that prevented him from moving. The entire room he was in was dark, save for the spotlight that was shining above him. Nearby, he began to make out a medical cart with shiny tools placed upon them, and to his feet, he saw a large cam system. _Where the bloody hell am I?_

"Cozy?" taunted a very familiar voice in the darkness. Mitarashi Anko stepped into the light with a manila folder in her hands, humming to herself as she flipped through the contents. She'd fought him with an interplay of kunai, raw power, and snake-based jutsu to gain every advantage over him. Most interesting though, was the whistle she blew, which summoned a gigantic snake from the ground as a distraction; after that, she'd used a large number of constrictors to lock him in a tight blood-choke. _Well played, woman,_ he thought to himself, _well_ bloody _played_.

"Subarashī Chesutā," she said, reading the file, "Real name, unknown. Well, you're pretty friggin' tall, and you're pretty strong for someone so light. You're in the bingo book for _a lot_ of suspected assassinations. Abbot Noguchi during a peace summit in Tsuchi no Kuni; steel magnate Kirishima Makoto, who was on the edge of a new technological breakthrough; even Gato's rival Nakamura Iemitsu, who threatened to out him. The price on your head's about 65 million ryō due to how many high-profile kills you've made over the years, which technically makes you an international terrorist."

"And I suppose you want to collect?" asked Chesutā in a mocking tone.

"Tempting, but no," Anko answered tersely, closing the file, "See, contrary to what you'd think, I'm actually a _good girl._ How good depends on what you tell me."

As she walked around near the the cam, Chesutā watched as Anko brushed her hands on the handle of a crank. A push on the handle tightened the tension in his body enough for him to feel a slight discomfort in his humerus and femur bones. "A rack, now?" he grunted, "Honestly, I thought this was going to be a civil chat we're having."

"Nah, that's just to keep you still," Anko admitted easily, "We only use it for criminals that're so bad that it'd be irresponsible for us to let them back into society alive. I, however, have a different method."

"Do you?" Chesutā challenged.

The hired assassin wasn't one to be intimidated easily, but the cat-ate-the-canary grin on Anko's face seemed to promise more pain than the torture implement. "Yeah, in fact. I think I can make you talk without the rack, and I'm convinced that I can tell when you're lying."

Chesutā laughed maniacally. "Pardon my objection, but I've been through my fair share of interrogations; not once have I ever incriminated a client. A moment with you would be nothing."

"You ever wonder what it's like to suffer massive blood loss?" asked the interrogator, fiddling around with a small, empty syringe, "If you lose enough red blood cells, you'll start to feel sluggish and cold. Your body starts to feel dry, and you'll be confused as hell. And on top of that, you'll start to feel out of breath until you're too weak to even think. Not a pleasant way to go, but at least your blood will be useful."

"And to whom would my blood be going?"

"No way _in hell_ am I letting your blood go to a hospital," Anko retorted sharply, flicking a finger against the needle, "For all I know, some unlucky schmuck will get the idea to be a psycho killer just by taking it in. I, on the other hand, am definitely gonna be using every liter I get out of you."

The would-be mass-murderer's eyes narrowed at what he'd just heard. "For you?"

In response, Anko jabbed a needle into a vein in Chesutā's elbow without applying alcohol to the area, earning a yelp from him. It wasn't long until the syringe was halfway full of his blood. As she pulled the needle out of his arm, Anko pressed onto the wound with a cotton swab. "That bloody hurt!"

"Totally worth it," she said offhandedly, studying the syringe while her hand was on the cotton swab. There was a look that Chesutā couldn't place on her face; a certain amount of hunger in her as she examined the claret substance.

"By now, you're probably wondering, 'why the interest in blood,'" Anko continued, attaching a small hose to a venipuncture needle and ten linked blood bags, "You can thank my sensei Orochimaru for that. After he gave me the Curse Mark, I felt hungry even after I'd eaten. When I escaped and told the Hokage everything he needed to know, I smelled something good. It was only after that, that I found I literally had a thirst for blood."

"And you expect me to believe all this?" challenged Chesutā.

Anko silently busied herself by hanging the blood bags next to him, making sure they were placed lower than his body. "I honestly don't care if you do," she added, putting a drop of his blood on her fingertip, "But what I _am_ concerned about is what I'm going to do with all 5 or so liters of your blood. It pretty much works like you're donating blood. Catch is, if I take in blood that my body isn't compatible with, things get a little _interesting_. So let's see what your blood type is…"

Anko suckled on her finger, savoring the taste of the blood. After a few seconds of thoughtful silence, she shivered in pleasure before turning her attention back to Chesutā with a sadistic smirk on her face. "Well, what do you know? Your blood type is A-positive too."

Once she was done setting her victim up for exsanguination, Anko picked up a small bottle and a syringe. "What is that?" asked Chesutā.

"This here's a substance I borrowed from the hospital's medicine vault," explained Anko, filling the syringe, "It's a vasodilator; it works by relaxing all your blood vessels, making them wider so that more blood flows through your body. Good news is that this one is an intramuscular medicine, which means I just need to inject it into your arm for it to work. Still, I'm not putting too much into your body, otherwise you'll bleed out too quickly. Once I'm done with that, we're gonna wait a little while before it's time to start draining your blood."

Anko dabbed Chesutā's bare arm with alcohol before injecting the medicine into her victim's arm. She immediately covered the miniature wound with a cotton swab before applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Anko released her hold on Chesutā's arm before readying the exsanguination needle and the empty blood bags. She then swabbed his elbow with alcohol before placing the tip of the blood-drawing syringe near her victim's arm.

"So unless you want to look stupid while dying, I'd start talking right now," she suggested seriously, "In fact, if you're bound by 'professional courtesy,' why don't we start with what you were specifically hired to do."

…

[Naruto's Apartment]

It was hard for Naruto to believe that he was finally home, and even harder to believe that the month he'd spent during the Painted World incident was only an hour in the real world. Because of that whole mess, the Hokage had given Team Uchiha a few days off. This was done partially to give him time to recover, but also because there weren't any C-ranked missions available yet.

Still, that wasn't an excuse to skip a day of warming up. Ever since Kaori had begun to mentor him, his morning routine always included a little bit of stretching to make sure he stayed limber before breakfast. Luckily, her training regimen wasn't nearly as bad as the one that Lee had willingly taken up under his own sensei. In addition to that, he also took the time to meditate a bit; it was the hardest part of the training, but was done to keep his flame growing.

Before he could settle into the meditation, Naruto's train of thought was interrupted by something tapping at his window. At first, he thought he could ignore it, but the tapping increased in both volume and frequency. Eventually, the noise was too much to bear, and he had no choice but to investigate.

"Damn it!" he cursed. Naruto looked outside to find a black bird perched on his planter; he'd _seen_ crows in the village, but not one _that_ big.

Heaving a sigh in frustration, he went back to his meditation, only for the crow caw at him, startling him from his thoughts. Naruto turned to level an intense, hateful glare at the bird before settling down again, only to have his concentration broken with more cawing and window-tapping. For some strange reason however, he thought he could make out a smug sort of amusement in the raven's shiny black eyes.

The raven cawed at him again, prompting Naruto to pull out his machete, and open the window. The bird flew in, seemingly taunting him as he swung his short blade in an attempt to kill the annoying crow. Just as quickly as it entered, the raven flew back out the window, leading him to chase after it with blade in hand.

"Get back here, you annoying little shit!" he roared, chasing after the raven. It flew effortlessly under his slashes, while weaving around flaming projectiles, taunting Naruto throughout.

The entire chase took them both towards Team Uchiha's training ground. The bird was small enough to trick Naruto into hitting the odd tree or rock. There were also moments where that evil bag of feathers would fly in behind his head, and peck at him. Even more puzzling and infuriating was the idea that the raven was somehow laughing at him throughout the entire chase.

As he closed in on the crow with his machete, Naruto watched as the ebon ruiner-of-his-day perched on Kaori's forearm. There was a smug look in the bird's eye as it looked back at him, while his mentor gently ruffled its feathers. A cursory glance at his surroundings allowed him to realize that he was surrounded by a lot of smaller crows. "Did he give you any trouble, Kokuyo?" she asked the bird.

"Nah, he was an easy target," croaked the raven, much to Naruto's shock, "It was so much fun, pissing him off. Seriously though, anybody tell you that you throw like a pussy, kid?"

Naruto simmered. "Hey! I don't have to take this shit from…"

"That being said, Naruto," Kaori interrupted, allowing the victorious Kokuyo time to reverse-summon himself, "I had him bring you here because I didn't think you'd want to leave your apartment after…well, y'know."

"What about Taka and Hanabi?" asked Naruto.

"Hanabi's back home and Taka's enjoying her day off in the library," answered Kaori, offering him a seat next to her.

There was an awkward silence between master and student as they took in the sounds of the wind blowing through the foliage, mingling with light caws. It was almost peaceful, watching the flock of crows relaxing and speaking with each other. "Did you know?" Naruto finally asked.

"All the adults know about the Kyūbi," said Kaori without hesitation, before sighing in frustration, "Nobody was allowed to tell the kids, in the hopes of letting you live a normal childhood. Hell, the Yondaime Hokage himself specifically stated that you were to be seen as a hero for holding it. To be honest, I'd always known you'd meet her sooner or later; I just never thought you'd meet her the way you did."

"What am I?"

"You're a Jinchūriki, a human container for one of the nine Bijū," explained the former ANBU, "However, let me make this clear: you are your own person, and who you are is determined by the choices you make in the here and now."

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh before pulling Kaori closer. "I honestly don't know what to think, dattebayo; about being a cage for the fox and all. Still, thanks…for being honest with me, I guess."

"If you've got the ability to do so, I would start speaking with her more often," Kaori suggested, "You can only get stronger for it if you do."

"You say that like you have your own friend inside you," the blonde teased.

"In a way, I do," answered the Uchiha heiress, earning a curious glance from Naruto, "Ever since I got my flame in the shrine, I've been having these dreams about these women in black, hooded robes that seemed to look up to me for some reason. During my time with them, I felt a warm welcome whenever I studied with these masters of Katon. From there, I was able to get a foundation to start trying out the lessons in real life; before I knew it, I was weaving great firestorms while making my own jutsu."

The dream that Kaori had described sounded very familiar to Naruto. However, her encounter with the hooded women sounded a lot more personal than the cursory glance he'd had upon getting his own flame. "The point I'm trying to make Naruto, is that you can only get stronger with all these tools at your disposal. So whenever you have the opportunity, speak with the fox; at the very least, you'll know where you stand with her."

Naruto gave his mentor a grateful hug. "Thanks, Kaori-sensei."

…

[Aogetsu Correctional Facility]

"Get a look at this piece of ass!"

"Hey! Ice-bitch! How about you come in and I show you a good time?!"

There was no end to the sexual harassments that were fired at Kurenai as she passed by the cells of the prison with a pair of ANBU escorts. Ironically enough, they weren't from perverted men, but _perverted women_ ; not a surprise, as Aogetsu was a women's correctional facility for some of the worst offenders in the village. The prison was originally constructed to house female spies that were caught trying to probe the defences of Konoha, while the village was still young. This was done in order to keep them separate from the shinobi prisoners, otherwise there would be an even bigger mess to deal with from a co-gender prison. Male prisoners on the other hand were incarcerated at Akabi, which was hidden in a location in the opposite direction from Aogetsu.

In addition to having enough space to practically fit half the entire village population at the time, Aogetsu also had its own execution grounds. From what Kurenai had been told, many sexual assaults tended to be perpetrated by prisoners sentenced to death row―something about having nothing to lose. The number of sexual harrasments she'd received upon entering seemed to confirm that statistic.

Still, Kurenai's destination lay at the other side of the wing. The three of them passed the threshold into a Detention Hall for underage offenders; it was specifically constructed for girls under the age of 21. The majority of these inmates had committed homicide, half of which being questionable cases of self-defense; the other half had committed lesser, but still very serious crimes.

Her target was jailed several days ago on the charges of attempted homicide, attempted mass-murder, abduction of a shinobi, and unknowingly aiding an international terrorist. However, there were arguments that she wasn't in control of herself at the time; a split personality that made her commit those crimes. As such, it was a toss-up for all of yesterday as to her ultimate fate, and she was to be interred in Aogetsu until a decision could be made on her final sentence. The final say in the matter was made today, and so Kurenai had come with an escort to disclose her fate.

What saddened Kurenai the minute she and her escort had neared the cell was that it had anti-jutsu seals draped across the door for safety's sake. Due to how dangerous Yakumo's genjutsu was, she was imprisoned in solitary confinement, which had already an extremely powerful jutsu-nullifying seal array. Anti-jutsu seals were also taped outside her window to keep anyone from going in or out; the only amenities that were allowed on the door were the viewing window and the food tray slot. It wasn't permanent, her internment in that particular cell was only in effect until the verdict was passed.

Heaving a sigh, the genjutsu mistress had a look inside the cell. The Kurama heiress was busying herself with a new painting on her easel. For extra security measures, she was not given fūinjutsu paints, and her brush had rubberized silicone grips to prevent her from committing suicide. She turned to her escort. "I'll be fine," she said, "Just wait outside, I doubt I'll be long."

The two ANBU operatives nodded before removing the tape from the door to allow Kurenai passage into the cell. As she crossed the threshold, the steel door was shut behind her, leaving the genjutsu mistress with her former apprentice. She could feel the melancholic atmosphere thickening as she sat on the bed. "Hello again, Kurenai-sensei," Yakumo said, her focus still on her painting, "Has the verdict been issued?"

"Well, the good news is that you won't be spending the rest of your life in prison," answered Kurenai, trying to lighten the mood, "Bad news is that you're going to stay at a mental hospital for a while."

"After all that I've done, I _should_ be put here," added Yakumo, dipping into a dab of bright orange, "I murdered my own parents, abducted and almost killed a boy I didn't know, intended to kill you and the Hokage, and unknowingly helped to try and destroy the whole village. I honestly should have been put on death row at worst."

"You weren't yourself when you did those things," countered the genjutsu mistress, "The Multiple Personality Disorder alone was grounds for an insanity plea. You won't be doing jail time, but you _will_ need help to keep your dark side in check."

"And who would help me?" Yakumo asked, using the orange paint to lightly highlight an area of the canvas.

Kurenai sat closer to her student. "I will." Yakumo's silence seemed to invite her to continue. "I failed as your teacher once before; it's my responsibility to help you get out of this situation so that we can make things right again."

"What about your other students?"

"I'll come see you on my spare time, when I'm not training them," explained Kurenai, "I should have been more invested in your training, had more faith that you could rise to the occasion. That's a mistake I won't repeat."

Yakumo cleaned her brush in the alcohol, allowing it to dry before grabbing another one for a very deep red. A closer look at her palette revealed to Kurenai that she'd chosen a lot of hot colors: reds, browns, yellows, oranges, even a hot, purplish blue. Apart from that, she spotted a special palette dedicated to a thick wad of black paint. "Will I meet Uzumaki Naruto again?" she asked.

"I can't guarantee that you will," admitted the genjutsu mistress, "On top of being an active genin, the Hokage's given his team some time off for him to recuperate from his misadventure. But I'm pretty sure you'll meet him again; since he's already met your good side, I doubt he'll be holding a grudge against you."

"But I still owe him an apology for what I've put him through," said the painter, brushing more red onto the canvas, "It's the least I can do."

"I'll pass along the message if I see him again," offered Kurenai, "But right now, I'm here to help you pack up and get ready to leave. Where we're going is actually a very pleasant place; plenty of fresh air, lots of space for you to paint, and there are doctors that can help you in areas that I can't."

"Might as well," Yakumo drawled slightly, before dunking her last brush into the alcohol, "And just in time too, this painting still needs to dry before we leave."

Kurenai looked over Yakumo's shoulder to inspect the painting. In the foreground, she saw Naruto sitting before a twisted sword planted into a bonfire, not unlike what she'd seen in his mindscape. There was an intense look on his face as he eyed the flames dancing before him, with the Kyūbi standing nearby.

Surrounding them was the weapon graveyard she'd been to with Kaori. Standing by the weapons were glowing wisps of bright white that seemed to have a humanoid shape. It looked to Kurenai that these were the owners of the weapons that were planted in the ground. There were a variety of warriors of all shapes and sizes, many of whom wore heavy armor. She even thought she'd spotted a large form near a gigantic, gnarled bow further back.

However, that was all trumped by the armored figure standing behind Naruto and the Kyūbi -or Kurama as she liked to be called- with their back to the audience. They wore a suit of armor made from large, overlapping plates of fluted metal arranged in a manner as to resemble muscle fibers. The entire suit was a grotesque, and yet strangely beautiful work of art; resembling a flayed corpse. In short, the armor was made to look anatomically correct, the plates resembling key muscle groups without compromising on mobility, and a light leather undersuit was worn underneath.

Apart from the grim aspects of the anatomically-correct armor, Kurenai could also spot other aesthetic additions to the armor. There were nine leather tassels that dangled to his calves, weighed down by heavy spikes tied at the ends. The helmet seemed to have two protrusions at the sides of the head, somewhat like ears, and his bare hands were covered in claw-tipped gloves.

"That's a very beautiful work," Kurenai answered honestly, "It seems to evoke a sort of primal fear in me; like somewhere in that graveyard, there's a spot open for me. And yet, the truly frightening part is that I feel like I'm welcome there."

"It still hasn't dried yet," Yakumo told her, "I'll have to leave it here until we're done moving to the hospital."

Watching as her former student packed up her painting supplies, Kurenai wondered exactly what it was that was going through Yakumo's head to paint that scene. It really _was_ beautiful, but it raised a number of questions about her state of mind. _A change in scenery will be good for her,_ Kurenai thought to herself.

…

[Kiln of the First Flame]

The graveyard was filled with the sound of metal clashing as Kurama wove in and out of battle with her current sparring partners, a large scythe in her hands. She swung low, catching the target's ankle before pulling back up quickly goring them in midair. There was no need for a being of pure chakra such as herself to train, or even spar for that matter―it was just to help alleviate her boredom. Right now, she needed a tougher opponent to help her forget the isolation she'd found herself in.

Her sparring partners were all warriors clad in leather armor, with metal gauntlets and knee guards. Each wielded a dagger and a greatsword, and they sported a tall, pointed, metal cap that obscured any features, be they feminine or masculine. It didn't help that they all wore their collars high, obscuring the lower half of their faces. The only thing that Kurama could make out of these individuals was the small rim that showed below the helmets.

The fight with this memory was nothing short of chaotic. On top of having at least three or four of them ganging up on her, the Abyss Watchers of Farron's Undead Legion also fought amongst themselves. Overall, she'd found the Abyss Watchers' fighting style to be a good foundation for newer ones, while adding to her own.

Kurama paused. For a moment, there was a tugging sensation on the back of her neck―Naruto had come for a visit. Sighing in frustration, she tossed her scythe in favor of conjuring forth a pair of slim chakra blades from her fingertips. Her attack was a wild dance, quick parries transitioning smoothly into deadly ripostes. With most of the Abyss Watchers dead, she pounced on the last one, filleting the target before dispelling her chakra blades.

Having finished her sparring session, Kurama turned to find Naruto walking towards her. "I didn't expect you to come back so soon," she noted, "Had I known, I'd have just waited for you."

"Yeah, well I've got my own curiosity to satisfy," Naruto shot back, looking up at her, "And I ain't leavin' till I get answers, dattebayo!"

"Fire away," she said, settling down near the bonfire. The look in Kurama's eyes silently invited him to sit with her.

"First off, how'd you end up in my head?"

"That part's easy, I was sealed inside you by the Yondaime Hokage," Kurama began, "Before I was put here, I was locked away in a seal array on your stomach. Once the First Flame ignited in you, it took me into your mind; and to this day, I still don't know why."

"So what exactly is it that you do now, dattebayo?" Naruto queried, "Screw me over?"

"First off, I'd like nothing more than to _literally_ screw you over," retorted Bijū, a husky tone in her voice, "Secondly, my job now is to make sure that flame stays lit; because of that, one of my responsibilities is to kick out uninvited guests that the Spirit of the Flame doesn't wanna bother with. Another is to strengthen its holder."

Naruto was curious at that second prospect. "What do you mean?"

"Souls are the currency here, and every soul you bring back can be used to pay for something to make you stronger," explained the Firekeeper, "Bring me the souls of those you have slain, and I'll do just that. Do you want brute, physical power to use all kinds of weapons and armor? Or perhaps you want the dexterity to make your strikes count? For the appropriate compensation in souls, I can even teach you _my_ jutsu."

"How do you even know I've collected enough souls?" asked Naruto.

The Bijū beamed at him. "I'm a part of you. Of course I'd know; you have enough for me to teach you some Katon jutsu that the Uchiha-girl _wished_ she knew━or even a few kata for different weapons."

Naruto was silent for a few seconds as he pondered the possibilities. Because of all the zombies he'd put down in the Painted World, he could potentially become strong enough to wield that ridiculously large sword he'd seen in Andore-san's forge. He could even learn new jutsu and kata that the fox had undoubtedly picked up during her time in the graveyard. Anything was possible with the number of souls he'd picked up.

"Since we're here, might as well give you something," noted Kurama, breaking him out of his thoughts, "So what will it be, bearer of the First Flame?"

…

[Konoha T&I Department]

Anko yawned, stretching her back as she stepped out the door of the chamber she'd reserved for Subarashī Chesutā, jabbing a piercing straw into a half-full blood bag. It'd taken hours of interrogation, but she'd finally gotten him to confess to everything. During that time, more than 10 cubic centimetres of vasodilator were gradually injected into him and he'd lost nearly three liters of blood before he started singing.

After the first sip, she shivered slightly at the metallic taste. "Man, this stuff's rich," she mused to herself, " _Totally_ worth the effort of tapping him."

"You get anything from him?" The speaker was a tall man looking down at Anko with arms folded over his chest. He wore his hitai-ate as a tuque, but Anko knew he was bald under the hat. Apart from the long scars that crossed his face, and his muscular frame, all other features about him had been obscured by the the large, black trench coat he wore.

"What I got from him was some guy named Hiten," Anko answered in between sips, "Sounded a lot like an alias. Looks like he was the contact that hired Chesutā to wipe out the entire village, and promised him 5% from the proceeds of the real estate auction to come from the destruction. Apparently, the plan was to use Naruto's death as a catalyst for land development on a large scale."

"You haven't completely bled him out, have you?"

"Ah, don't worry about it Ibiki, I'm only halfway there," dismissed Anko, taking another swig of blood, "Besides, I'm very sure we've got everything we needed from him; so if there's anything we missed, I'm pretty sure his blood will tell me the more I drink it. Either way, I think we have a good foundation for an investigation; all I need to do now is to get a description of his contact. After that, we'll have an easier time of getting that warrant, and then we ambush and interrogate the contact."

"You're gonna interrogate him some more, aren't you?" Ibiki deadpanned, his question more a statement than anything.

"You know it!" Anko answered, taking another sip.

"I'm gonna send the findings to the investigators in a bit, see if we can't get that warrant," groused Ibiki, turning to leave, "Until then, you stay on that smug bastard. If he says anything else, let me know; otherwise, feel free to drain him of every drop of blood."

"You got it!" beaming happily as she walked back into the interrogation room.

"And Anko, do keep it clean," Ibiki called from over his shoulder, "Last time when you cut that guy's carotid, not only did you go into a feeding frenzy, but some of the rookies were traumatized."

Anko sighed. _Ibiki will never let me live it down!_ "For the last time, it was an accident! Besides, how the hell was I supposed to know he had B-negative blood?"

"Yeah, right," snarked the chief interrogator, disbelief in his deadpan, "And I'm sure you almost chewing through his neck after that first cut was an accident too."

"Whatever!" she shouted, slamming the door behind her. She still had a victim to interrogate and completely drain of blood.

…

[Konoha Shopping District]

Voices meshed with each other in the Konoha Shopping District, as shoppers from all walks of life checked stalls and stores for whatever they desired. The most fervent shoppers however, were craftsmen looking for a variety of raw materials from every corner of the world. Imported gems from Tsuchi no Kuni that warranted the same attention from jewelers as fresh fish to fine restaurants. Tailors would purchase fine silks from Kusagakure for new-style dresses and kimono for all occasions. Prices for fine clay powder from Kaze no Kuni was bartered over by artists and craftsmen for every trade.

Thankfully for Naruto, nobody really paid him much attention; they were all too busy buying and selling things to even notice him. After his visit with the fox last night, just the thought that he would get peace of any kind was cause for celebration. He didn't have any desire to waste the souls he'd gained from the Painted World to get a strength he'd appreciate more from training. Instead, she'd taught him a couple of Katon jutsu for his flame that he was very eager to try out in the field.

As he continued down the district, Naruto felt his good mood soured by the strange feeling that someone was following him. A look behind him revealed a small strip of blue behind a large lamppost, attached to a kid in a yellow t-shirt. He chose to ignore him in favor of trying to enjoy his walk.

It'd been a good few minutes of walking, and he wasn't able to shake the boy; every time he turned to check if he was still being followed, the Hokage's grandson quickly put up a disguise. It wasn't even hard to find him out: on top of following him to a place where there were fewer people, the younger boy's sense for camouflage just plain sucked. Naruto sighed in frustration, having had enough of his stalker. "All right, you've had your fun! Now come out!" he shouted at the cardboard box of navel oranges, watching as it flinched, "I know you're in there! You're too far away from the Farmer's Market for that box you're using to make any sense!"

The Hokage's grandson stood up from the box, a smug grin on his face. "So ya finally figured me out, guess I was right to call you my worthy opponent."

"It really wasn't hard at all. None of your disguises were subtle; I mean, whoever heard of a rock that was shaped like a cube? Now what do you want, dattebayo?"

"I want you teach me!" demanded the younger boy.

Naruto stared at him as though he'd just grown a second head. There was a few seconds of silence before he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm still learning myself, so what makes you think I'm good enough to teach you?"

"You're probably the best shinobi I know of, so you'll probably be a better teacher than Ebisu-baka," admitted the younger boy, "Plus, you _do_ owe me—if I didn't tell grandpa you got in trouble, you'd have been stuck in that painting even longer."

Sighing in resignation, Naruto turned his attention to the younger boy. "Well, I don't have anything better to do, so might as well. But before I show you something, what's your name?"

"It's Konohamaru, like the village," answered the Hokage's grandson, "And one day, I'm gonna be Hokage!"

Naruto nodded in slight approval at the name, and the declaration. "Alright then, Konohamaru, let's start with something simple." He looked around, trying to find a person, only to find no one else in the vicinity. What he _did_ find was a adult bookstore that was closed for lunch, with a spinning rack still full of magazines and out in the open. His eyes scanned the magazines to find the subject he was looking for.

"You know the Henge no Jutsu, right?" Naruto asked, earning a nod from Konohamaru, "Why don't you Henge into this girl?" He pointed to the mature, dark-skinned blonde on the cover of "Kumo Ojōshi." She had a somewhat thick body with generous assets, and long, healthy arms and legs. Her alluring curves were only helped by the healthy amounts of fat in the right areas, particularly on the ass. The sun glistened on her smooth, dark, olive tan, which was contrasted with straw-colored hair and cyan eyes. What little modesty she had was protected by the red star-shaped NuBra, and a white, orange-striped bikini bottom as her generous bust seemed to bounce with her jumping. And if one were to look close enough, they would see a light spray of freckles on her shoulders, face, and somewhat above her bust line.

"What for?" asked Konohamaru.

"It's about as easy as it gets," answered Naruto, "Since you seem to like sneaking around, might as well see if I can fix your skills from there. Besides, you can't get an easier target than a thick, mature hottie."

Konohamaru wore a confident smirk on his face. "No problem." His hands flew through hand-seals, until he completed the sequence for the Henge no Jutsu. As the smoke cleared, Naruto wished he could unsee what the Hokage's grandson had turned himself into. Instead of a mature, dark-skinned centerpiece from Kumogakure, he saw a morbidly obese, dark-skinned man with his lips puckered for a kiss.

"Yeah, you've got your work cut out for you," Naruto dryly said, trying not to get sick, "A _lot_ of work."

"What do you mean?" The fat man asked.

Naruto twirled his finger around, indicating a mirror behind Konohamaru. The fat man he'd turned into had a horrified expression on his face, almost throwing up before he dispelled the jutsu. "You got the gist of the jutsu enough to do it fast, I'll give you that," acknowledged Naruto, as the younger boy recovered from the shock, "But were you really focusing on getting it _right_?"

"All right then, how would you do it?" Konohamaru challenged, folding his arms in front of his chest.

Naruto flew through the seals for the Oiroke no Jutsu. As the smoke cleared, he'd transformed into the female version of himself, long ponytails and all. Instead of being stark naked however, she was sweaty and dressed in a civilian sailor fuku that could barely hold her soft curves. "Is this a little too tight for me?" she asked in a cutesy voice, "And that's how you do the Oiroke no Jutsu!"

There were no words from Konohamaru as he gawked at the transformed boy. "How did…?"

"I actually took the time to get the form right," explained Naruto, dispelling the jutsu, "I had to focus on the shape I wanted to take. At first, I had to look at a lot of magazines to get an idea on how a pretty woman's body looked before I was confident enough to make up the girl I turned into. After a while, I got good enough that I can do this jutsu became second-nature to me."

"What do I have to do to get better at it?" Konohamaru asked.

"Just use the jutsu a lot, focus on getting the shape right," suggested Naruto, "After that, start focusing on other women so you get a feel for all kinds of shapes. But for now, we start on the mature Kumo babe."

Over the next hour or so, Naruto watched as Konohamaru transformed into various iterations of the mature Kumo woman with varying levels of success. Sometimes she would wind up having an exaggerated body part; other times, she'd be of a different nationality or even wearing different clothes. Either way, every casting of the Henge no Jutsu brought the younger boy closer to imitating the Kumogakure covergirl.

"Let's stop here for now," announced Naruto, "You've earned a break."

Konohamaru sat on the bench next to Naruto, taking advantage of the break to catch his breath. "So why are you trying so hard to be Hokage?" Naruto asked.

"All my life, I've always been called 'honorable grandson,' like they're too scared to say my name," explained Konohamaru, "I want people to really see me for who I am…and not just because of grandpa."

"You sure that's the only way?"

"That's the best way I know."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, only for someone to interrupt. "There you are!" The two boys found the source of the voice to be the shinobi assigned to teach Konohamaru. "Honorable grandson, what are you doing with this hoodlum?!"

"Hey!" Naruto barked in outrage.

"I'm learning more from him than I ever did from you, Ebisu-baka!" Konohamaru shouted, defending Naruto.

"There's nothing for you to learn from him, he's only going to hold you back!" Ebisu countered, "Honorable grandson, I guarantee that if you learn under me, you'll become Hokage in no time!"

"Shut up! How can you be my sensei if you can't even teach me this…!" After finishing the sequence for the Henge no Jutsu, Konohamaru was engulfed in a smokescreen. As the smoke cleared, a perfect replica of the Kumogakure covergirl stood in his place, totally naked and shining from the mineral oils slathered all over her body. She had one arm draped across one of her large, mature breasts, while clasping over the junction where her long legs met; the other arm covered the other breast, while drizzling more oil onto her bust.

"I'd call _this_ progress!" the covergirl announced triumphantly, as the oil splashed on her breasts, trailing down onto her flat abs.

Ebisu recoiled from the appearance of the woman, arms flailing around as he tried to regain his composure. During the jōnin's struggle for poise, Naruto noted the small trail of blood creeping down from his nose. "What a perverse jutsu!" he sputtered, recovering clumsily from the shock, "If that's the kind of thing he's teaching you, then I'm all the more convinced to protect you from him!"

"Are you teaching him because he wants to learn, or is it because of his name?" Naruto asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"None of your business, you good-for-nothing brat!" Ebisu retorted, "Haven't you sullied the honorable grandson's mind enough already?"

"At least Boss doesn't care that my grandpa is the Hokage!"

"Why don't we settle this in the park?" asked Naruto, fingering his hankyū, "I bet you that I can shoot an apple off your head with this bow. We can both do whatever the hell we want; but if I hit that apple with the entire quiver of arrows, you've gotta ease up on the kid."

"And what if I win?" Ebisu challenged.

"If I can't even get a single arrow into that apple, then you can do whatever the hell you want with me," conceded the young teen, "Petition for my exile, have me drawn and quartered, you name it and it'll be done."

Ebisu smirked wickedly as he offered his hand to shake. "Fine then, but under the condition that I get to choose the apple."

"As long as it's a real one, and that nothing's been done to it," Naruto countered, "The second that apple turns out to be fake, or even a genjutsu's been put on it, then you lose by default and you will have to go through a penalty game."

"With my skills, I doubt I'll need to do anything to that apple," boasted Ebisu.

Naruto accepted the handshake, glaring suspiciously at the jōnin. "We'll see about that."

Ebisu said nothing, instead performing the Shunshin no Jutsu. Naruto headed towards the park with Konohamaru in tow. "Boss, what're you gonna do? I know you're good, but I don't think you're _that_ good."

"Oh, I already have pretty good idea on how to deal with him," Naruto replied, a wicked grin on his face.

The trip to the park was silent as the two boys mulled over the fight to come. It was roughly a ten minute walk, but they'd arrived at the park to find Ebisu waiting for them. He wore a cocky smile on his face as he bit down on an apple in his hand, while a green one sat nearby. "About time you both got here," he said, pushing his sunglasses up, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd run away."

"And miss this chance to knock you off your high horse?" Naruto asked, cracking his knuckles, "I don't think so."

"Well, now's your chance!" Ebisu stated, throwing away the apple core before balancing the green apple on his head. "Remember, you said _every_ arrow in the quiver!"

Naruto smirked, taking his bow off his shoulder before igniting his flame. He quickly flew through hand seals with his hand on fire. "Kasai Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Once the sequence was complete, Naruto was consumed in a ring of fire that erupted from the ground, surrounding Ebisu. As the flames died down, a total of twelve Naruto clones stood around the jōnin, each of them balancing a bow against their bodies. However, Naruto wasn't done, as each clone quickly flew through hand seals, before coming to a quick stop. The twelve clones were engulfed in smoke, cloying the entire area.

Ebisu waited expectantly as the smoke began to clear. He felt his blood rush as he saw twelve twin-tailed blonde beauties dressed in sheer silks that revealed their generous hourglass figures and feathered wings on their backs. Each one carried a bow loaded with arrows tipped with red, heart-shaped heads with a quiver strapped to their backs.

Eight of the winged beauties sauntered towards Ebisu, throwing their quivers at the remaining four, before weighing down his legs and holding his arms in place. The last four took aim with their bows, prepared to win the bet. One fired the opening shot, knocking the apple off Ebisu's head; the next rolled beneath it, launching it higher into the air. Within seconds, the apple was turned into a pincushion of arrows as it was kept in the air with every hit scored. Every one of the archers fired an arrow from tricky and erotic positions: one of them even contorted her body to fire arrows with her feet. By the time all four clones had run out of arrows, the apple was riddled with multiple arrows going into its core, becoming a veritable hedgehog of arrow shafts and fletching.

Speechless from the sensory overload, Ebisu fainted. The sensation of pert, female breasts pressing into him from multiple directions was too much for him, turning his body into jelly. The eight twin-tailed women released their hold on him before eleven of them disappeared in bursts of flame. The final 'Naruko' dispelled the Oiroke no Jutsu, and in her place stood Naruto with a triumphant grin on his face. "Kasai Kokoro Kariudo a success!"

"That was totally awesome!" Konohamaru cheered, "With you as my sensei, I'll be Hokage in no time!"

"Don't get cocky," replied Naruto, catching the younger boys attention, "There's no such thing as a quick way to being Hokage. I've had to work hard for three years to get to where I am, and even now I've still got a long ways to go before I'm even good enough to teach you. I'm lucky, because I found a mentor that was willing to put all the time she had helping me get better; if it weren't for her, I'd have been held back for a long time. Besides, you're not the only one that wants to be Hokage; I'm trying to get that hat myself, so don't think for a second that it's gonna be an easy road for you."

Konohamaru gawped silently at Naruto, awestruck at how frank his new friend was. His expression melted away into pure determination as confidence filled his voice. "Who the hell do you think you are, telling me I can't learn from you? If that's the case, then I'll be Hokage first!"

Grinning confidently, Naruto reached out his hand for Konohamaru to shake. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

…

[Gates of Konoha, the next day]

All was quiet at the wall, as two guards kept watch at the gates. It was a rather boring day, with only a few people going in and out of the village. What made it even worse was the fact that the guards weren't even allowed to bring any reading material on duty.

"C'mon, let something happen!" moaned one of the guards, "I'll take a cavity search over nothing any day!"

"At least when that little demon girl came, the prisoners were freaked out by her," his partner added, "Heh, it was hilarious! A little girl scaring all those big boys there."

"What was her issue?" The Guard asked, "By the way Izumo, you heard about what she was involved in yesterday?"

"Yeah, in fact I did, Kōtetsu," answered the partner, "I heard Anko caught the world-class assassin Subarashī Chesutā in all that excitement. She's probably getting half the bounty because that 65 million ryō was for catching him alive. I also heard she bled the bastard dry before heading to the bounty collection office with his dried corpse."

Kōtetsu scoffed. "Served him right! I really liked Abbot Noguchi; I don't give a damn that he was preaching in Tsuchi no Kuni, at least he tried to bring about peace, man!"

"Apparently, Chesutā's contact in the village was Ōmura Akuji," Izumo added.

"The guy that runs the merchants' bank?" asked Kōtetsu, "Somehow, I'm not surprised; from what I've heard, he's corrupt to the core. On top of that, there are whispers that he had ties with Gato, so of course he'd be under investigation. So what's gonna happen to him?"

Izumo chuckled darkly. "Oh, with Chesutā's confession and the things they probably found while sacking his mansion, this is _way_ past a corruption charge now. My guess is that they're likely gonna book him for treason, as well as being an accessory to an attempted mass-murder. If we're lucky, Ōmura's finally getting that appointment with the gallows he deserves. Last I heard, he managed to get out of court by paying off the judge."

"Well then, it's about time he got jailed," Kōtetsu agreed, clenching his fist in front of his partner, "Here's to finally getting some justice."

"Here, here!" Izumo replied, completing the fist bump.

It wasn't long until they noted someone coming down the road. When the person came to a stop in front of them, the guards were able to get a better look; it was a tall, gangly man that seemed to be nearing his sixties. Most of his features were hidden by a cape, but what clothing they _could_ make out underneath included an old-fashioned suit and a tall stovepipe hat. The guards also noted that he had a serious injury; his right leg from the calf down was replaced with a wooden peg. Strapped to the old man's back was a very large, rectangular wooden box with almost human-like dimensions. His gait seemed innocent enough, but they found subtle hints in this old-timer's walk that said he could handle himself in a fight if need be.

"Can we help you, sir?" asked Izumo,his hand drifting towards a kunai.

"Good guardsmen, I am but a travelling puppeteer looking to rest these tired old feet before moving on," stated the old man, his voice a genteel baritone, "Perhaps you gentlemen can show mercy to an old man?"

"Mind if we check out your box?" queried Kōtetsu.

"If you must," answered the puppeteer, setting his box carefully on the floor, "But please, good guardsmen, do handle the contents with care."

Kōtetsu opened the box, studying the contents with morbid fascination with Izumo; inside the case, they found a life-sized puppet of a human woman resting within with silver hair and pale skin. She was dressed in the sort of clothing that was seen in retro fashion magazines: a dark red dress, fingerless pink lace gloves, white blouse, and a brown shawl and bonnet. There was something eerily-beautiful about this puppet, and yet she looked so disturbingly lifelike. _She looks so real,_ thought the guard.

"Well, looks like you've been level with us so far, so we'll let you in gramps," said Izumo, closing the case, "Just stay outta trouble, and we won't _give_ you any. Fair enough?"

"Of course," stated the old puppeteer, slinging the box over his shoulder.

"You have a name sir?" asked Kōtetsu.

The old man cracked a smile. "You gentlemen may call me Gehrman."

…

[Hokage Tower, en route to the Hokage's Office]

The day had finally come for Team Uchiha to resume work. After the run-in with Konohamaru, Naruto had been itching to get that C-ranked mission he was looking forward to since the Tora mission. He could only wonder as to what sort of job he'd be doing this time.

Kaori knocked the door, eliciting a 'come in' from inside. As she opened the door, Team Uchiha had walked in to find the Hokage and Iruka greeting them warmly. "At ease," he said, "It seems you four are in luck, a C-class mission's just come up while Naruto was in recovery." The wizened Hokage turned his attention to Iruka. "Send in the client."

Iruka nodded respectfully before opening the door. "You may come in now," he gently said to someone on the other side.

The chūnin opened the door wider, allowing an odd figure to walk in. Whoever it was wore a heavy suit of armor that made out of bands of metal, with belts tied at certain parts of the banded cuirass making them look fat and hiding their identity. The banded helmet they wore looked like a fat teardrop with small holes at the bottom for breathing, and a single eye-slit. Overall, the entire suit had shown signs of battle in spite of its ridiculous appearance, made much more menacing with the large sword sheathed on their back. The small, round shield with the spiked boss this person carried made it clear that when they fought, they meant business.

The impression that Naruto had of this stranger was that they looked like an onion; a weird onion that seemed awkward around people. Their hands were held together behind the shield, as they looked at the entire team.

"Team Uchiha, meet Sigurin of Tamanegi no Kuni," introduced the Hokage, "She'll be your client."

The client extricated a hand from her shield to wave shyly, her voice echoing lightly from her helmet. "Hello."

…

 _ **A/N: And that's a wrap. Here, we have loose ends tied, and more that have been deliberately unfurled for later. Looks like we now know who Orochimaru and Anarisu spoke of, as well as what happens to Chesutā and his contact.**_

 _ **Now we've got more Soulsborne characters making an appearance…here, it's one from Bloodborne, and one from Dark Souls. One I will get to later, the other…well, I'm pretty sure you know that particular storyline. With all those knots tied, you can be assured that the story will start to diverge a little more from here. Don't fret; we'll still be dealing with Zabuza in the future. With any luck, no onions will be killed in the writing of this story…unless it's for dinner.**_

 _ **I do wonder; if Naruto's got access to the Kiln of the First Flame as his personal Reality Marble, does that mean that Kaori will get access to Izalith for her own? And what of other memorable lands in Soulsborne? Can we expect to see the School of Mensis as well? Since Soulsborne likes to play with reincarnation, and the laws of time and reality, we can expect that whoever is the reincarnation of somebody powerful enough will eventually get their own Reality Marble. Please note that just as not every Servant gets Reality Marbles, so too will these people not get access to everything belonging to the souls they are the reincarnation of—so no Smough and Ornstein with Anor Londo, but you**_ **are** _**guaranteed that there will be no Abyss without Manus.**_

 _ **Anyway, give a round of warm applause to NorthSouthGorem and UnitedOsprey1991 for their contributions…and Soleneus for being a good reader.**_

 _ **As usual, do please review, and keep it classy, would you kindly?**_

…

 _ **Vocabulary/Translations:**_

 _ **Tamanegi no Kuni—translates to "Land of Onions"**_

…

 _ **Cameos/References**_

 _ **Kaori's dream—Izalith**_

 _ **Human-sized puppet—The Plain Doll**_

 _ **Gehrman**_

 _ **Sigurin—Sieglinde**_

 _ **Tamanegi no Kuni—the "Dark Souls" land of Catarina**_


	10. Up North

_**A/N: There will be a bit more divergence, but worry not; we'll still deal with Zabuza and Haku soon enough after this. Who knows? We may even find Sigmeyer in Nami no Kuni. But for now, we'll have a bit of a diversion. Otherwise, do read and review, would you kindly? And please keep it classy!**_

…

[Hokage's Office]

"The mission you're on is simple enough," explained the Hokage, striking a wooden match to light his pipe, "I'd have assigned this to Team Kurenai, but they're already out on a mission of their own. Besides, you're the only team with sensory specialists that I have available at the moment. Anyway, you are to help Sigurin find her father."

"He's been missing for almost a month now," added Sigurin, almost fidgeting in her armor, "My father is a wanderer; always out looking for adventure. He's not a bad person, but the problem is that he just won't stay still. I've heard word that he was seen in these parts, before heading north."

There was a certain tone in the girl's voice that made it clear to Naruto that she was sincerely worried for her father. He suddenly felt the urge to comfort her welling up in his chest as she fidgeted nervously. _Aw man, I just wanna hug her now._

"You all have by the end of the day to prepare for this mission," added the Hokage, puffing on his pipe, "I would recommend you prepare for a long trip, and get plenty of rest. You are to meet the client at the southern gates. Dismissed."

Kaori nodded in assent, leaving the entire team to their own devices. "By the way Naruto, I have a request," called the elderly Kage, catching Naruto just as he was about to cross the threshold, "Sigurin was robbed on the way here. Apparently, she managed to fight off the bandits and get back our upfront pay, but she doesn't have enough money to stay at an inn. Would it be too much if I asked her to stay with you for the night?"

Having a look at the armored girl, Naruto could not help but feel sorry for her. On top missing her dad, she was robbed on the way to the village. She was most certainly not in a good place, and yet he could not help but admire her determination. "I think I can put up with her for the night."

"Splendid," replied the Hokage, "Now, go get your supplies and rest up. It's likely you'll be out for a few weeks."

Sigurin followed Naruto out the door, squeezing through the frame to accommodate the bulky shape of her armor. "So, where are we going now?" she asked, walking in stride with the younger boy.

"We're gonna go to this store that Kaori-sensei took me to once," he answered, "If she catches me with even one pack of instant ramen in my storage scroll, she's gonna burn it to a crisp."

"Well that's not nice," snorted the onion girl

"You're telling me!" Naruto agreed, "She just keeps taking me out to all sorts of places and asking me to order anything _but_ ramen!"

"Did you enjoy any of it?"

"Well yeah, but that's not the point! I wanna enjoy my ramen whenever, wherever!"

"Then I guess you should be more appreciative," chided Sigurin, "I think she wants to teach you that the there's more to the world than just ramen. It's like my father teaching me to eat my vegetables…"

As she trailed off, Naruto noted that the client had suddenly gone silent. "Sorry about that," he said, "I didn't mean to…"

"No, no, it's quite alright," Sigurin interrupted, waving her hands in dismissal, "I really needed to speak of him anyway."

Naruto nodded in appreciation. "Cool."

There was a silence between Naruto and the client as they walked the streets of Konoha. "If I may ask, what is this 'ramen' you speak of?"

…

[Old Kingdom Smith and Forge]

Andore busied himself at the forge, watching carefully as the billet he'd put inside slowly began to change from a cherry red to a bright yellow. It was made of twenty-four alternating layers of cast iron and spring steel, which would be stretched out and separated into nine pieces. Each piece would then be twisted in a different direction, before all nine would be welded together and twisted and hammered into a single billet. It was a large, multi-purpose hunting knife for an Inuzuka planning to go out in the wilderness.

With Tenten out of town on a mission, he was left alone with his thoughts and his work. The only thing Andore prayed for was that nobody would come to the shop at the moment. His grizzled appearance had frightened off far too many customers to other forges. As far as he was concerned, a few loyal customers was far better than a legion of unreliable ones. _Not to mention, I'm already on a bloody government contract as it were._

As he began to stretch out the billet, Andore heard the sound of the bell ringing. "Bloody hell," he groused, placing the piece back in the forge, "I swear, nobody wants to leave me alone…"

Stepping out into the shop, the old smith looked down at today's visitor. Her violet hair was done up like a pineapple, and she wore a minimal amount of clothing under her overcoat. She only wore a fishnet mesh made from spring steel cables. "Hey there, old man!"

"Well, 'tis good to see you again, Anko," greeted Andore, "I suppose you're here for more o' the usual?"

"Not today, I'm here for a special order," Anko chirped, looking through the wares on the shelf, "I heard you did one for Kaori and was wondering if you could do something for me?"

"Ah, so yer lookin' at one of them 'trick weapons' my granddaughter and I have fashioned?" asked Andore, a knowing smile on his bearded face, "Marvellous work they are; I helped to make the blades, while she learned to make the moving parts. I hear they are popular with you shinobi. So you have something new for us to make?"

Anko nodded, unfurling a roll of parchment in front of the old smith. Andore studied the schematics carefully, grunting thoughtfully as he read every detail written in a different script. "This looks simple enough," he drawled, contemplating the drawings, "Where'd you find it?"

"Found it while I was on a mission raiding one of Orochimaru's bases," answered Anko, "Looked like something he wanted to arm his troops with. Makes me wonder what it would've been like if they managed to make a working copy of it."

"Well, the weapon can be done without question," Andore noted, interpreting the finer details in the blueprint, "Although, I don't have any siderite on hand. It's a simple design, but it has to be built to exact specifications, or else it would not work properly."

Anko stared at Andore as though he'd just sprouted a second head from his shoulder. She was wide-eyed in confusion as she tried to comprehend what she'd been told. "You can _read_ that gibberish?"

"That 'gibberish' is an old script called 'Futhark,'" answered Andore, reading the words on the scroll, "'Tis a dead language, but it _is_ seen from time to time in ancient artifacts from the days before the discovery of chakra—and _especially_ on pieces of titanite." Noticing that Anko was silent, he sighed. "You can't be a good smith if you don't learn tricks from the ancients, so I dabbled in archaeology for a time. 'Tis also the reason I favor traditional smithing techniques to these newfangled noisemakers you young'uns call tools nowadays."

Sighing in exasperation, Anko took the parchment back. "So, all you need is some siderite and we'll be good to go?"

"Indeed," answered Andore, "But that in itself will be difficult. On top of being hard to hammer into shape, siderite comes from the stars; finding enough for this project is about as likely as that blonde slug-wench winning at them casino games. And even if by some odd stroke of luck you hear of someone that has found a meteorite, a fist-sized piece is likely to bankrupt you."

"Hmmm…I wonder…" Anko drawled playfully in thought, before pulling out a sealing scroll. She immediately cut her thumb before wiping it across its surface as she unfurled it; a puff of smoke issuing forth as the item was pulled from the scroll. As the smoke cleared, Andore found himself looking at a large, shiny rock.

"By the gods, is this what I think it is?" asked the smith, looking on in wonder.

"The snake was either lucky or rich enough to find it," explained the Snake Mistress, while Andore pulled out a jeweller's monocle to examine the meteorite, "Honestly? I dunno, but it looked like he was about to get an expert on siderite to work it. You think this is enough for the project?"

"'Tis more than enough," answered Andore, studying the hunk of siderite, "And from what I'm seeing, this is very good quality siderite. The project is simple enough for me to do within two weeks, fit and finish included. As I will have the honors of bringing this weapon back to life, it will be built free of charge. But if you come back with anything broken, I will begin to charge you accordingly simply to _find_ the siderite. Am I understood?"

"Loud and clear."

…

[Naruto's apartment]

"Well, we're here," chirped Naruto, unlocking the door, "It ain't much, but it's home."

In one hand, Naruto carried a set of disposable storage scrolls that he'd bought at a place that Kaori told him would set him up quite nicely with provisions for missions at a reasonable price. Coincidentally, it was owned by the Akimichi clan, and so it was more than guaranteed that it would contain dishes that catered to a shinobi on a long job. The problem was that nobody knew what was in those ration kits, adding a level of excitement with every purchase; something about marketing 'surprise meals' and adding a bit of variety. Sometimes people got chicken and rice with mushroom sauce in one package, others got pork and beans in vegetable stew in another. Still though, for those with specific requirements such as vegan diets and food allergies, specially-tailored packages could be requested ahead of time for a slightly higher price.

Either way, these were made and packed in-house by a clan that was extremely strict on food safety—at the very least, Naruto could always trust Akimichi-made food. Due to their near-obsessive insistence on following all health inspector regulations to a T, the entire clan took it personally with anyone that even _thought_ of sabotaging a meal to do harm. _I'm pretty sure Choji and his dad would have some choice words with food-poisoners,_ he thought wryly, _And they'd probably throw in more than a few punches and groin-kicks for good measure._

Turning the knob, Naruto allowed his guest entrance into the apartment. Sigurin had a look of the surroundings with a keen eye as she walked in. "This is where you live?" she asked, "It seems too small."

"Well, at least you get all the space you need," Naruto answered, placing the scrolls on the table, "So, anything you need before we get to dinner?"

"If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like some help in removing my armor," said Sigurin, tenting her fingers nervously, "It's hard to do on my own, and it's late."

"Figures," Naruto sighed, "Tell me what to do and we'll get to it."

"Let me put down my sword and shield, then we can start with my helmet…"

Naruto reached for the sides of her helmet, before pulling it off to reveal the face of a girl around Kaori's age…if not somewhat younger. Her straw-colored hair was done up in a bun behind her head, and she looked back at him with tired, coffee-colored eyes. No doubt from searching for her father for a long time.

As he continued to follow her directions, Naruto understood why Sigurin needed help. While she could clearly do so on her own, it probably would have taken a good half hour or so if she weren't in a rush. A second pair of hands may even have shortened that to about fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. It was a problem exacerbated by the girth of the armor, as well as his inexperience with armor in general.

"I apologize for having to ask this of you," she explained, taking off the plates on her arms, "Normally, I would have a squire back home to help me put it on and take it off."

"No problem, always a first time for everything," Naruto replied, undoing the buckles from her leg armor, "How can you walk around in this anyway?"

"I've been wearing armor for a long time," answered Sigurin, removing her cuirass, "As a young girl, I'd had to get used to wearing armor in order to become a knight."

"I'm sorry?"

"A knight," Sigurin repeated, placing the fauld on the table, "A warrior-noble. I suppose in these parts, you would be calling us 'samurai.'"

"Wow, didn't think I'd have nobility in my apartment," Naruto noted, "And that should be the last piece."

"My family is not exactly prestigious, but we are still nobility."

As he took in a better look at his guest, he was able to take in more details about her. She wore a chainmail shirt that was sewn onto a leather jacket, and her tough pants were tied at the knees just above her boots. Beneath her under-armor, Naruto was able to notice that she had a slightly smaller bust than Kaori, and she was a bit shorter with slightly thicker curves. Overall, it looked less like the body of someone that wore armor for most of her life, and more like a normal -if physically fit- civilian girl in her mid- to late teens. _If Kaori-sensei is on the sexy side of the scale, this girl is more on the cute side._

"If we can just get my armor off the table, we can take inventory of our provisions and equipment," suggested an eager Sigurin, "Then we can try out this 'ramen' of yours."

"Right, well, let's see what we've got."

After removing all of Sigurin's gear, Naruto unfurled both scrolls on the table, allowing him a look at the contents. Each line was simply labeled as a meal, and a number; no doubt with a proprietary storage seal hidden. There were twenty-one lines in each scroll, organized into three columns and labeled from 'Breakfast 1' to 'Dinner 21,' each containing a mystery meal. From what that Akimichi salesman told him, each seal on the scroll worked only once; meaning he couldn't seal the meal back.

As he examined the scrolls, Naruto checked for signs that they had been previously used. Finding nothing wrong, he heaved a relieved sigh as he began to roll the scrolls back up. "Yeah, they look good."

"How so?" Sigurin asked, examining the scrolls for herself.

"I don't see any signs that they were used at all," explained Naruto, "That, and Kaori-sensei told me that the real scrolls are written in an ink that only the Akimichi would use. Something about hand-mixing their own ink from bone ash."

"Not a surprise, my people make ink that way too."

"Anyway, let's put these away so that we can get to dinner."

The scrolls were rolled up, and placed in a bag near the table, leaving Naruto to get water for the ramen. "Do you live here alone?" Sigurin queried.

"Yeah, for as long as I remember," Naruto answered, preparing the vegetables and frozen dumplings while waiting for the water to boil, "I was told my parents died when I was born, and that they were good people."

Sigurin regarded Naruto with shock, before her expression turned apologetic. "I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"Don't be," Naruto interrupted, "I'm already used to it. Besides, I've got a team now; they're probably the closest thing I've got to a real family."

Naruto threw two ramen blocks into the boiling pot before turning his attention back to the onion girl. "What about you? You got anyone waiting for you at home?"

"No, all I've got is my father," answered Sigurin, "My mother passed several months after he left. I'm bringing my father home so that he can at least come to pay respects before continue his adventures."

Looking on at the saddened girl, Naruto felt the urge to hug her. "Wow, you're really worried about him, aren't you?"

Sigurin nodded in assent, a wistful look in her eyes. "I miss him dearly."

The rattle of the pot lid caught Naruto's attention, causing him to hop towards the pot with a pair of chopsticks to jab into the noodles, swirling them around to break them up and cook more evenly. "Well, don't worry," he said, pouring the noodles into a colander before running them under cold water, "We'll find your old man and you can bring him home, or my name isn't Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!"

"Thank you."

The rest of the night continued silently as Naruto made the ramen soup from two cans of chicken broth. He then allowed the dumplings to boil in the pot, while putting the noodles and vegetables in the two bowls. As soon as the dumplings floated in the boiling liquid, he divided them evenly before pouring the steaming broth over the noodles. To finish off, he sprinkled a little spice over both bowls.

Once the dinner was prepared, he handed Sigurin a pair of chopsticks. "Here, not as good as what's in the restaurants, but one bowl of ramen for you."

"Thank-you, but I've got my own eating utensils," Sigurin replied, setting aside the chopsticks before pulling out a small leather wrap from a satchel. She unfurled it to reveal three metal items: a spoon and a knife, and what appeared to be a small, two-pronged pitchfork.

Picking up the fork, she twirled it inside the soup to extract a small bundle of noodles on the metal utensil, before eating.

Naruto looked at her with an expectant expression. "Well? How is it?"

…

[Elsewhere]

Crows cawed, picking away at the bodies of two warrior teams with metal headbands, with either two rocks, or three clouds engraved upon them. Each had died with a look of abject horror frozen on their face. All in all, a complete slaughter of eight warriors in strange, thick cloth vests.

Through the cacophony of cawing, a large man stood silently by, surveying the carnage with a giant cleaver in hand. His entire body was composed of muscle, accentuated by the fact that he wore little in the way of armor or clothing. Whatever modesty he had was covered by a fur loincloth, cloak, and boots. He wore an abdominal cuirass and a pair of heavy chains crossing his chest. A large nose took up the majority of his squared face, its flattened profile giving him a somewhat leonine appearance. Short, spiky black hair splayed out in all directions, as glowing red eyes inspected the battlefield; in addition, two small tusks jutted from his lower jaw, making him look like an oni.

Sitting on a boulder, the giant contemplated the fight he'd just interrupted. He'd happened across these warriors by chance, but what he saw interested him to no end. These people were throwing what looked like spells at each other, while fighting with strange, leaf-bladed daggers. From time to time, he'd even seen them flinging small, flat blades at each other.

He remembered the sudden rush in his veins while watching the skirmish. If it were any other time, he would have simply observed before challenging the strongest warrior. Now? With humanity wielding a general fighting style that emphasized mobility and a heavy use of magic? How could he possibly sit back and let these soldiers do all the killing? Wishing to see for himself how strong these new warriors were, the swordsman had leaped into the fray. As the two teams scattered, the swordsman flattened his first victim upon landing before eviscerating a second.

Upon recovering from the shock of his sudden appearance, the remaining six soldiers from both sides of the conflict split up, gathering together in an attempt to fell him. He distinctly remembered the fates of each and every one of them: how he'd initiated the fight by punching one of the rock-people in the middle of a spell so hard, that his neck snapped.

He could still hear his comrade's cry of rage as he dove at him with a pair of daggers. The swordsman parried his airborne soldier's daggers with an upward swing, keeping him in the air. After recovering from the first swing, he bisected the soldier in a single chop.

The third member of the rock-people managed to complete his spell, sending an avalanche of dirt and rock in his direction. The swordsman's response was to sidestep the spell, before rushing the wizard. Before the spellcaster could weave any more magic, the swordsman grabbed his face and pulverized his head with a single squeeze.

After that, all that remained was the team of cloud-warriors, who saw this as an opportunity to make their own attempt to slay him. Glad that they intended to stay and fight, the giant charged, an action mimicked by the opposing team. He recalled killing the first of the cloud-warriors with a single punch, shortly before chopping his airborne colleague in half.

The only remaining warrior was a woman with a pair of short swords. Before she started the battle, she sheathed her blades in lightning. She was agile, finding no trouble avoiding his attacks throughout the fight; however, he never gave her a chance to respond. As the fight progressed, the giant felt he could cut loose, sundering her blades before cutting deep into her shoulder.

The demon scoffed. _And you call yourselves men?_ he mused to himself, spitting upon one of the male corpses, _Pitiful!_

As he surveyed the battlefield, the swordsman thought carefully to himself about the encounter he'd just had with these magical warriors. True, they were stronger in many ways than the soldiers he'd massacred long ago, but they were still very fragile. While the woman was killed in just under four minutes, each of the men died within one. _Still, if skirmishes like these had this much excitement, I'd like to see what a war would look like,_ thought the giant.

A smile creased his lips at yet another thought. _Perhaps I may yet find a worthy opponent in this place…_

…

[Gates of Konoha]

The morning was fairly quiet as they strolled down the street, making sure the well-armed and armored knight was at least well-supported in the event she had to fight━she _was_ paying them after all. The girl seemed to be in slightly better spirits since she stayed in Naruto's apartment, and it showed in the subtle bounce in her step. No surprise, considering she traveled alone while looking for her father.

As they met at the town square, Kaori eyeballed everyone's gear; barring weapons, Team Eleven traveled light, as anything oversized was kept in a storage scroll. Naruto kept his hankyu, as well as his and Sigurin's provisions in a storage scroll at the small of his back; his longsword and was holstered at his left for combat, and the machete over the scroll for general use. Apparently, Taka did the same for her larger sword, keeping her smaller blade at the ready. As Kaori's weapons were hidden, and Hanabi only needed her fists, there was no need for anything other than their provisions. Sigurin shouldered her massive sword, ready for battle while her shield was in the offhand, speaking volumes of how strong and fit she was.

"So I understand the client spent the night at your place, Naruto," Kaori stated, as Team Eleven neared the gates, with their client in tow.

"Yeah, she was good company," answered Naruto, wondering what his mentor was getting at.

Kaori smirked mischievously. "You get a look under that armor of hers?"

"He actually helped me take it off," replied Sigurin.

"See anything good?" asked Kaori, pressing on.

The onion knight looked towards the jōnin kunoichi, scoffing. "I wasn't naked, if that's what you're insinuating. I _am_ still a girl, after all."

Kaori let out a simple 'hn.' "But seriously, what _did_ you do?"

"Well, after we bought our supplies from that store you showed me, I decided to have her try some ramen," answered Naruto, "I still haven't gotten an answer about it yet, dattebayo!"

"It wasn't bad," she answered honestly, "It's just different from the foods I'm used to back home. Perhaps when we have a chance, I'll cook something for you to try."

"Hey there!" called out a voice from the side. Team Eleven and their client turned their attention to the security booth near the gate. Naruto recognized them both as Izumo and Kōtetsu, the two guys who always hung out with each other. Out of every shinobi that chased him after a prank, both of them were a close second to Iruka.

Izumo waved them over as they crossed the threshold into the Hi no Kuni wilderness. "You two get guard duty again?" Kaori asked, half in amusement.

Izumo sighed in resignation. "Yeah, we drew the short straw on who did the week shift. Especially after that Cho-han bet Kōtetsu made last month. Thanks to that, we're rotating our shifts between each gate every day."

"Well you could've stopped me y'know," rebuked the bandaged shinobi, "Instead of…oh, I dunno, staring at the dealer and her tattoos?"

Izumo rolled his eyes in exasperation. Eager to change the subject, he turned his attention back to Team Eleven. "So I take it you guys are out on your first mission outside the village?"

Hanabi beamed at the two guards. "Yep."

"Well, you guys watch yourselves," Kōtetsu advised, "It's probably a low-ranked mission, but be on your guard all the same. You never know what's gonna happen on a mission."

"It's just a C-ranked mission," Kaori replied, "But all the same, we'll be careful."

The two guards waved at the shinobi team and their client off as they left the gates. Team Eleven strolled down the dirt road, taking in the scenery as they kept their eyes peeled. Nothing much to see, considering the path they took. Still, it was a beautiful day, the occasional chirping of birds; a good omen that lifted their spirits.

"So, what can you tell us about your dad?" asked Kaori, after five minutes of silence.

"He should be wearing armor exactly like mine, but with a larger sword," explained Sigurin, "When he's not in armor, I suppose the polite way to describe him is portly. He's also got a round nose, dark hair, and a thick mustache; you really can't miss him."

"Basically, we're looking for another onion-man right?" Hanabi queried, "That should make my job easier. You have any leads on where he could have gone?"

"The only one I've got is that he stayed in Konoha for a few days, and was last seen heading north of here," answered Sigurin, "I'd heard mention of a spring situated beneath a great tree, filled with water that could make someone stronger. Perhaps I can find him there."

Kaori silently racked her brains for the location Sigurin spoke of. After a minute of quiet thinking, she heaved a sigh. "Well then, it looks like we're gonna have a long trip," she said, pulling a compass out of her pocket, "We're heading northwest to Takigakure."

"Takigakure?" Naruto parroted.

"Yeah, that's the only place I can think of with water that does exactly what she says," Kaori added, "They're not a major shinobi village, but they're still strong enough that they never fail to send some very high-quality shinobi to the Chūnin Exams. Last I checked, we weren't exactly on the best of terms with them; prolonged conflicts rarely foster good foundations for relationships and all."

"She's right," Naruto noted, "No point in thinking about it when we still have a long ways to go."

There was nothing more to be said━they simply had a long trip ahead of them. Team Eleven continued down the road with their client, keeping their eyes and ears open for any threats to their escort mission. As he observed the way Sigurin moved, Naruto saw the signs of an experienced fighter; there was a grace and confidence in her movements that belied the cumbersome appearance of her armor.

The walk down the road was silent as they watched for threats from all directions. While they _were_ technically working a missing persons case, it was still an escort mission at its core. Even if Sigurin could take care of herself in a fight, the job would fail if she died.

A snapped twig broke the silence, followed by movement in the bushes, prompting Kaori to pause mid-step and make the hand-signal to halt. Within seconds, more twigs were broken, and it was joined by rustling leaves. The way the vegetation moved around suggested that they were surrounded.

"Manji Formation!" Kaori barked, "Defend the client!"

The three genin surrounded the client in a defensive formation, weapons drawn and ready: Naruto gripped his longsword in both hands; Taka quickly grabbed a fistful of shuriken in one hand, and wielded her shorter blade in the offhand; and Hanabi slipped on her gloves and into a fighting stance as she activated her Byakugan. However, they also stood a respectable enough distance away so that Sigurin could swing her massive sword if need be, while still being able to jump in and support her. At the same time, Kaori stood outside the formation, changing the grips on her cane while igniting her flame and activating her Sharingan.

"Hanabi, how many are we looking at?" Taka asked, keeping her eyes open.

"I'm seeing at least fifteen, maybe twenty enemies out here," answered Hanabi, the veins by her eyes pulsating.

Charging out of the vegetation was a gang of no more than twenty armed bandits, quickly encircling the team and cutting off their escape. Most of them were thugs equipped with a variety of weapons and armor. Quite a few of them on the lower end of the spectrum wielded kodachi and tanto (possibly with poisoned blades) and fought in the clothes on their backs; likely pretentious nobodies. On the other side, many of them wielded anything from rusty katana to well-made naginata, and wore armor━die-hard mercenaries -possibly a few rōnin- by the look of it.

There were also a few shinobi and kunoichi in the mix with scratched-out village crests. Several of them wore flak jackets, while others simply chose to fight in casual outfits; every one of them had a kunai or shuriken at the ready. They looked at his team with cold, calculating eyes, likely preparing a jutsu to wipe them out. Each of them carried themselves with an air of experience, which seemed to indicate that there were no genin among the bandits.

Naruto was startled from his thoughts when he heard a loud guffaw. "Well, it seems we've got a good hit here!"

The bandits parted way, allowing passage for the speaker. He was a hulking man in a suit of heavy armor, shouldering a rather large axe with a d-guard grip and a back spike. His bulbous helmet had two large eye holes, as well as a grill punched out where his mouth would be. The rounded shape of his well-worn plate armor, along with his thick frame, gave the impression of an obese man.

The armored hulk turned his attention to Sigurin. "So another idiot from Tamanegi no Kuni that's wandered way too far from home!"

Sigurin recoiled in shock. "You've seen someone wearing armor like mine?!"

"Oh, and a girl too! It seems me and my men will have some fun with you after we have a look under that armor of yours! And maybe some of the ladies too!"

There were jeers and taunts coming from all around. "Ah yeah, Bazuso!" sneered one of the men, "She sounds so cute, I wanna be the first to crack open that armor of hers!"

Whatever shock Sigurin had felt had boiled away as she growled in anger. "I've heard of you! You're Bazuso!"

Naruto kept his eyes on the attackers, watching for any of them to make the first move. "You know this guy?"

"We of Tamanegi no Kuni have put him on your Bingo Book as a dangerous mercenary and murderer," she explained, "Around here, he's apparently a mere highwayman that is gaining influence. Also known as the 'Bear-Slaughterer,' the 'Grey Knight,' and most infamously, the '30-Man Slayer.'"

Bazuso scoffed, holding his axe in both hands. "You've done your homework girlie. And you're right, I've just found that banditry pays in both money _and_ power."

"You may be a disgrace to our people, but you have answers I want," Sigurin declared, pointing her sword at the bandit leader, "Tell me, where did you see the man that wore armor like mine?"

"The strong have no need to answer to the weak!" Bazuso roared, "Get them!"

On command, the bandits swarmed the shinobi team. Kaori pushed up her glasses with the handle of her cane…before stabbing a hapless soul through the ribs with her cane and incinerating several more with a short wave of flame. With the bandits burnt to ash, the Uchiha heiress kicked the impaled victim off her cane, transforming her weapon as she did so. As her cane changed, it rent a larger hole in the bandit; once freed, she swung her whip-sword at a nuke-nin in midair, sawing off a leg right below the knee.

Naruto handled his share of bandits with his sword and flame in conjunction. Sometimes, he would use the orthodox method of striking down opponents with the blade, before blasting the ones that got too close with explosive pyromancies on the fly. Other times, he would grab the tip with both hands, use the guard to disarm opponents, and then finishing them off by hitting a vital area with the strong of the blade. _As much as I'd hate to admit it, my time in the painting did me_ a lot _of good!_

Even without her longer blade, Taka held her ground well enough, throwing shuriken to distract targets so she could stab them. The Fuyuki girl seemed to favor thrusts over slashes, keeping calm throughout the carnage, watching out for opportunities to stab at vital organs. She only slashed when things got too close for comfort, or to set up her target _for_ a stab. In order to defend the client, she made sure to prioritize enemy shinobi before going after more bandits. _If Kaori-sensei taught her, she'd be unstoppable,_ Naruto mused to himself.

Hanabi clenched her fists before outright punching nuke-nin across the face or landing an uppercut in their gut or chin. Her unique version of the Jūken attacked multiple tenketsu at once, meaning her victims were suffering from multiple chakra-related problems simultaneously. Another part of the reason she used her fists instead of her palms like most of her clansmen was that the physical pain was just a distraction from the devastation she'd already caused at the point of impact. Already, Naruto could see several bandits clutching their bodies, and squirming on the ground in agony, showing how different Hanabi was from her older twin.

Meanwhile, Sigurin dealt with anyone who managed to get past the defensive formation. She parried a thrust with her shield, countering with a heavy a slash to smash in her opponent's cuirass and several ribs. Her armor absorbed a few Raiton and Katon jutsu throughout the fight, allowing her to continue fighting uninterrupted. Sigurin didn't use any jutsu herself; she probably didn't even need them as she was still moving deftly in spite of her bulky armor.

The bandits paused in their assault to catch their breath, giving Team Eleven and their client a moment of respite. From the number of headbands they'd seen among the dead, they killed most of the nuke-nin bandits. The non-shinobi bandits on the other hand, suffered far worse losses. Still, the bandits had taken their fair share of blood; while everyone on the team was very careful, they were still tired out and with minor wounds. That left Bazuso, and seven survivors of his gang; all of whom were shinobi. It didn't help that he hadn't participated in the assault at all.

"Impressive," Bazuso bellowed, hefting his axe in both hands, "You ladies have taken out the majority of my gang, but it doesn't matter! Not one of you has the power to face me! Least of which being that pet you have with you!"

Upon hearing that, Naruto snarled. The giant warrior guffawed. "What's the matter, boy? Feeling helpless now that I've told you how weak you really are?! You probably couldn't do anything without those women helping you anyway! What, you want your momma to go help you now?! Or are you going to let your client do all the fighting for you, like the whelp you are? C'mon! Fight me! I dare you! I challenge you to a one-on-one duel!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the armored oaf as he spewed insults rapidly; the grip on his longsword tightening as he glared daggers at Bazuso. On top of insulting him, the moron had the nerve to insult his entire team. "Can I _please_ go shut him up now?"

"Cool it, Naruto," Kaori assured, keeping her cane and flame ready in the even the shinobi decided to attack, "He just wants to separate us so he and the remainder of his gang can have an easier time dealing with us."

"Yeah, do as your bitch of an owner tells you, boy!" Bazuso shouted, "And when I'm done with you, I'll be enjoying their flesh as I show them all where they all belong; in the bed with me and my men!"

It was clear that all the women in the area were offended by the insult; each one doing their best to resist the urge to charge in without a plan. "Naruto, you have some new jutsu for your flame, right?" Kaori whispered, trying to keep a level head.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, his tone betraying his hesitance.

Kaori looked back to the surrounding shinobi. "You confident you can take that asshole on your own? This _isn't_ the Painted World y'know."

"If it means shutting his big mouth, then yeah; I'm pretty sure I can fight that idiot myself."

"Then we work together on this," explained Kaori, "You're going to draw his attention while I take the rest of the team to deal with his shinobi support. We'll try to finish them off quickly so that you'll get support. Remember, the client wants him alive for questioning, so aim to cripple."

"What about me?" asked Sigurin, in between pants, "I can't in good conscience leave you people to do all the work! I'm fighting with you!"

"We can't risk it," Kaori shot back, "You're our client; survival should be your biggest priority. If you die, then we can't get paid; besides, you won't be able to find your father if you're dead."

Whatever Sigurin had to say on the matter was left on the tip of her tongue, when Naruto turned to face her. "Leave that iron-headed idiot to us," he said, loudly enough for Bazuso to hear, "We'll see to it that he lives to talk."

Sigurin huffed in frustration. "Do as you will. But I'll watch your backs."

"What're you bitches waiting for?!" shouted Bazuso, "Are you all as cowardly as the dickless boy you've got with you?!"

"Hanabi, support her," Kaori ordered, "She's joining us after all." At this, Sigurin turned her attention to the Uchiha heiress. "Remember ladies; nobody interrupts his fight except for us.

Hanabi cracked her knuckles. "With pleasure," she answered, cracking her neck. At the same time, Sigurin rotated her shoulders.

Turning her attention to the only boy in the group, Kaori saw Naruto glaring daggers at Bazuso. "Go on, Naruto," she ordered, "Remember, if you can't beat him, then just hold him off long enough for us to come help you."

Upon receiving his orders, Naruto lowered his shoulders to rotate his neck. "Got it."

As he walked towards his opponent, Naruto rotated his shoulders before igniting his flame. Bazuso stepped forward to meet him halfway, hefting his steel axe on his shoulder. "I see you've got some balls, but you're gonna regret it when you lose your head over some wo-"

Bazuso's taunt cut off as he watched Naruto slamming a flaming palm against his chest, channeling Katon chakra into it. He could feel the fire filling his heart and lungs, commanding his body to send adrenaline through every blood vessel. His chakra system flared up, gradually flooding every muscle fibre with power, stretching his body to the limit. A red miasma began to surround his body, flickering in the air as though he were set on fire.

As the tremors subsided, Naruto took a deep breath before gripping his longsword in both hands. He began the fight by quickly rushing Bazuso, bringing his blade down on the knight, barely giving his opponent time to block with the haft of his axe. Every step forward was punctuated with a fast, overhead swing that bit deep into the haft upon contact. After catching the blade of the longsword with the beard of his axe, Bazuso proceeded to kick Naruto away to give him some breathing room before swinging the axe low in an attempt to hack off his opponent's legs.

At the same time, the remainder of Team Eleven and Sigurin kept a good distance away, intercepting shinobi that attempted to interrupt the fight. However, the first of the remaining nuke-nin to die was accidentally killed by his boss's axe, as he tried to intercept Naruto in midair. True to Bazuso's title of "30-Man Slayer," he had the strength and stamina to knock around lesser men with ease; and apparently, he'd also acquired the agility to catch shinobi off-guard. His lackey was tossed aside like a ragdoll into a tree━the impact exacerbating the axe wound in his chest.

Sigurin swung her shield, rending a gash through a shinobi's flak jacket before running the tip of her massive sword into an opening in the cloth armor, piercing through the sternum and the spine. After kicking a bandit off her sword, she turned to watch Hanabi sending her stunned opponent flying with a heavy uppercut before hopping away from a Katon jutsu. After swinging the corpse off her blade, Sigurin charged with her spiked shield raised; catching the enemy shinobi unawares upon landing. Her tackle had come to a complete stop as she crushed the nuke-nin against a tree, at the same time piercing a lung on the spiked boss.

Fencing with her opponent, Taka ducked and wove through the nuke-nin's strikes, watching for opportunities for the killing stab. Before she could capitalize on an opening she'd created, Kaori swung her bladed whip downward to bisect her opponent. The jōnin quickly turned her attention to a kunoichi in the middle of casting a jutsu; her response was to create a long, whip-like stream of flames to harass the enemy ninja, breaking her concentration as she caught flame. Distracted with trying to put out the flames on her body, the enemy kunoichi was impaled on Kaori's cane. She didn't flinch when Taka used her short blade to cut into her target's ankles, before stabbing them through the back.

Between his boss being occupied, and being the last member of his gang alive, the surviving nuke-nin fled. As Hanabi was about to give chase, Kaori gently grabbed her by the shoulder. "We've already won. Besides, I have a feeling he'll think twice before getting involved with bandits in the future."

With the rest of the bandit gang accounted for, Team Eleven and Sigurin turned their attention to Naruto just in time to watch him duck under an overhead slash aimed for his neck, one hand grabbing onto the blade. He followed through by stabbing his opponent in his exposed armpit, spearing through a few rings of chainmail before going into his shoulder. Bazuso barked in pain, as he released his hold on the axe. As his opponent staggered, Naruto grabbed the tip of his sword with both hands, swinging the strong of the blade into a chink in Bazuso's armor behind his knee. The Pyromancy he used enhanced his muscle strength, breaking through the chainmail and eliciting a scream of pain as his sword bit into Bazuso's leg. The bandit leader was brought to his knees, snarling in agony as he nursed the stab wound in his shoulder. Blood pooled under him as he tried to stanch the bleeding.

After pulling his sword out of Bazuso's knee, Naruto suddenly flinched as his head throbbed. The Pyromancy that Kurama had taught him increased the force of his blows━the tradeoff was that as the adrenaline rush wore off, he could feel the constant burn licking at his nerves. As his body cooled off, the pain began to subside, leaving him tired. His legs turned to jelly as he collapsed to the floor from exhaustion. Hanabi was quick to catch him, pulling a panting Naruto towards her as she held him up with some effort.

Kaori walked in front of him, gently pulling his face to hers. "You did good."

"Thanks, sensei," Naruto acknowledged in between pants.

Nodding in satisfaction, Kaori turned to Sigurin. "I believe you had something to ask him?"

Sigurin shouldered her sword, striding confidently towards Bazuso. As she came to a complete stop in front of him, she stepped on his axe and pressed her blade to his neck. "Tell me where you saw the man in armor like mine, and I'll make your death quick."

"Fine!" he yelled, "We saw him heading this way to Takigakure! But he's not gonna last long there! Not with the Bakiraka watching the borders!"

"Who are the Bakiraka?" asked Sigurin, clenching her sword in anger.

"They're a clan of assassins who mainly patrol the borders of Takigakure," explained Kaori, "They're the remnant of an ancient civilization originally from Kaze no Kuni that serves as the village's black-ops and special forces soldiers since the Clan Wars. I've dealt with some of them abroad during my time as an ANBU and I can tell you for a fact: while they're not technically shinobi, they're no slouches either. The average clansman is capable of fighting an ANBU or a chūnin on even terms _without_ chakra."

"I'm sorry, ' _without_ chakra?'" Naruto asked in disbelief.

Kaori nodded. "Yeah, but that's not to say that they _don't_ use chakra at all. It's just that they're masters of stealth and exotic weaponry first, and chakra specialists second."

Bazuso chuckled weakly, the blood loss beginning to take over. "That dumb idiot's probably been killed by them! I hear the Bakiraka are so skilled with torture, that they scare even the legendary Morino Ibiki! Serves him right for ruining our last job—we would've made a lot of money off that green-haired bit-!"

Whatever else Bazuso had to say came to a halt when Sigurin brought her sword down on his helmet. The heavy blade smashed through hardened steel, splitting his head down the middle. Satisfied with her kill, Sigurin extricated the blade from the corpse.

"What now?" Kaori asked, a sympathetic expression on her face.

"We stay on course," answered Sigurin, "I don't know if he's dead, but I still have to find him."

"Then we're gonna have to take a knee." At this point, the Uchiha heiress turned her attention to her team and pulled a small black book from her satchel. "But first, we've gotta make sure that we don't waste this opportunity to get some easy money. As soon as Naruto recovers, I want you three to identify the bodies; if they're in the Bingo Book, decapitate them and seal the head away. Once you're done with that, then you guys can take your break. I'll cremate the bodies."

The genin of Team Eleven turned their attention to Kaori as though she'd grown a second head. "I must have misheard," Sigurin interjected, looking towards Kaori, "I thought I'd heard that you would seal the heads away, then cremate the bodies?"

"No, you heard me right," Kaori replied calmly and matter-of-factly, "You see, the dead still have value in the world. Even _I_ find it unsavory to do this, but if we just leave the bodies here, someone else might claim their heads and the bounties attached to them."

"Criminal or not, they still deserve a burial!" Sigurin exclaimed in outrage, "Why are we just handing their heads over for money? Wouldn't that make us no better than the bandits we just killed?"

"In your homeland, what you consider dishonorable, we call pragmatism," Kaori shot back, "Out here in these lawless lands, survival is your number one priority. Besides, shinobi do this all the time; especially the bounty hunters. In all honesty, I'd much rather see to it that this dirty money gets put to good use later than to be seed money for new bandit gangs."

Naruto agreed━it _was_ a matter of survival outside the villages. Other than one's own team, nobody was to be trusted. On top of that, they had to make use of every resource they could find just to live for the next day, a lesson that he'd learned in the Painted World. _Well, at least I'm not so squeamish about having to do this_ , he thought.

…

[Kiln of the First Flame]

Strolling idly through the weapons graveyard, Kurama found herself wondering as to which weapon she wanted to touch next. So far, she'd heard the tale of many Chosen Undeads, Bearers of the Curse, and a good number of Ashen Ones in the last week. While their stories were varied and interesting in their own right, she wanted to touch more specific weapons to see _their_ stories unfold.

Eventually, a shimmer caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, she saw a pair of blades planted in the ground in an x-shape. The golden weapon was a curved sword with a smooth edge and a black spine, guard, and grip. Its partner was a large, silvery dagger with a barbed and poisoned blade. Dangling from their grips on a chain was a large, bronze ring with a hornet crest carved into the main setting.

Curious about the owner of such magnificent blades, Kurama touched the ring, watching as images of a woman in blue clothing filled her mind. Underneath the fluttering, light-absorbing cloth, she also wore what looked like a suit of light armor fitted on a gracile body. She also wore a segmented helmet with a featureless white porcelain mask, and plaited, silvery blonde false hair pieces flowing behind her head.

The way she moved in battle was as graceful as it was effective. The golden edge of her sword distracted and parried away blades, getting her barbed dagger in position for the killing stab. The woman carried herself with a sort of natural dignity, as most gods and goddesses of Lordran were wont to do. There was also a certain disdain she felt for humanity that she shared with the divinity of that ancient kingdom; tempered by knowledge that not all humans were as bad as her people made them to be.

As she looked through more of her memories, Kurama saw that the blue hornet was not alone; that she had companions that she cared for above all else. While she _did_ reciprocate the friendship of her peers, only one of them had truly earned her love. In the end, her love was lost to the Abyss in Oolacile, protecting the she-wolf pup he'd raised.

After the fall of Lordran, she'd spent her last days watching over and praying before the grave of the man she loved. Fittingly enough, her sword-dagger pair was located next to the massive sword and shield near the fossilized bones of a titanic wolf. In the same proximity was a gnarled wooden greatbow fit for a giant, the mighty Dragonslayer Spear, and a massive gilded hammer.

"The hornet and the wolf, eh?" Kurama mused to herself, taking her hand off the ring, "And it seems that you two will be together forever, along with your colleagues. May you rest well with the Abysswalker in your arms, Lord's Blade Ciaran."

As she continued her patrol through the graveyard, Kurama began to wonder if she brought her imprisonment upon herself. Could she have better appreciated her freedom if she hadn't wasted her younger years with her eyes clouded by hate? Would she have found love like Ciaran did?

Kurama sighed, looking sadly up at the dusky skies of the Kiln. "Was there really another way, father? Could I have avoided this sad, desolate place altogether?"

…

[Unknown Location]

Naruto found himself in a desert of ashen sand, standing on a stone dais before a gathering of thrones. In the area, he'd spotted a number of dessicated corpses bleeding black blood, with crowns on their heads. Something about them disturbed him to no end, prompting him to examine the bodies. From the shape of the wounds on their necks, it looked like someone, or some _thing_ bit them all to death; like they were trying to eat them. And on top of that, there were signs that they were cut apart before being killed.

Disturbed by what he'd just seen, Naruto's first thought was, ' _What the hell happened here?'_

The sound of sand shifting broke his train of thought. Naruto turned towards the source, listening as it crept closer. As he waited with his sword in hand, Naruto watched as a crowned corpse crested a dune, silently screaming as it dragged itself about on the sand with only one arm. Even though its eyes were mere sockets, he could sense fear from this sad creature as it desperately tried to flee its attacker.

Against all common sense warning him not to go, Naruto climbed the dune to see a large, masculine figure on all fours. He could make out a pair of armoured leggings, as well as what looked like waist guards. The figure's cape folded over his head, one arm holding a rather large and damaged old sword, while the other was pressing against the ground. The motion under the head of the cape implied that the giant was eating something.

The giant suddenly turned his attention to the dune Naruto stood at, revealing a face that was hidden by a blood red hood. A thick gray beard spilled out of it, giving the impression of an old warrior.

"What? Still here?" The giant asked, before turning to face Naruto. As he stood up, the hooded giant slowly reached out to the young shinobi, exposing the large, gaping hole in his stomach. Naruto also noticed that the broken sword was planted in the chest of another crowned corpse—this one looked more mangled than the others. "Hand it over, that thing. Your Dark Soul."

Naruto clenched his sword tightly while backing away slowly.

As he did, the old giant reached further, as though in desperation. "For my lady's painting," he explained, almost pleading. Then, the red hood threw his head back as though screaming in rage. Naruto flinched as the crazy giant wrenched the sword out of the ground, his victim still impaled on the broken tip. As the giant hefted the broken blade onto his shoulder, Naruto's grip on his own sword wavering. He could barely move when the giant swung his blade, throwing the half-eaten corpse in his direction.

…

[En route to Takigakure, morning]

Naruto woke with a start, massaging his forehead. He had no idea what that dream was about, but he had a feeling that it had to deal with the Kiln; or rather, a weapon _stored_ in the Kiln. The nightmare he'd had was too vivid to be a dream, which meant that it was probably a memory. Whose memory, he had no idea, but he had every intention of seeing Kurama soon about this particular one.

As he looked down, he found himself with Sigurin sleeping next to him, and out of armor. She was wearing that outfit he'd seen her in before they left. It was a modest set that consisted of a buttoned long sleeve, trousers with buttons at the knees and ankles━overall, it looked like the versatile hybrid of pyjamas and a tracksuit. From what he could see, it was made of a thin, but durable fabric; possibly canvas. A closer look at her only made her cuter asleep than awake. Not a surprise that he would be sharing a tent with her; he was the only person that had her share of the supplies. Plus, he was able to help her put on her armor at record time.

Still, he needed to check on the rest of the team. As he walked out of his tent, he found Kaori and Hanabi sitting at the campfire, waiting for the kettle of tea to boil with Taka nowhere in sight. He could not help but privately giggle to himself as he saw their bed-hair…not that it detracted from their natural beauty in any way. "Morning!" Hanabi chirped, upon noticing him, "Sleep well?"

"Just fine, thank-you," Naruto yawned, stretching his back.

"And onion-girl?"

"Still sleeping," Naruto replied, cracking his neck, "Trust me, after all that wandering, she's gonna need it." Once he'd stretched himself out he stood over by his team. "Where's Taka?"

"Washing up at the pool," answered Kaori, tying her ebon hair up in a bun, "You mind checking up on her? Tea's almost ready."

Naruto took a deep breath before heading off to the nearby pool. As he strode through the woods, he took in the sight of nature that surrounded him. A much better scene than the abandoned city he was stuck in, but still just as dangerous. If it wasn't bandits, it was likely to be wild animals that killed the careless.

The view of a large, natural pool soon filled his field of view, fed from the waterfall at the cliff face. According to Kaori, it was a landmark for shinobi on missions to know they were near the border of Takigakure. This particular waterfall however, was apparently far from the most impressive one in the land.

As he looked around for Taka, Naruto found her clothes and hitai-ate neatly folded up close to the pool with a towel nearby━a surefire sign that she was in the water. However, the first thing he noticed however, was a small red object that peeked out from the folded squares of her clothes. Before he could investigate the item, Naruto heard the sound of someone breaching the water. A quick glance to the pool allowed him to have a look at Taka in the nude. Her features were slender, her curves somewhat modest for her age, but still developing well.

Quickly realizing what he was doing, Naruto turned away. "Saw anything you liked?" Taka asked playfully, stepping out of the pool.

"You actually look very nice," he answered, keeping his attention away from his teammate, "I just didn't know you were going to wash up _that_ much."

"No excuse to ignore personal hygiene," Taka noted, somewhat closer now, "What's up?"

"Tea's almost ready," Naruto replied, resisting the urge to turn around, "And for that matter, so's breakfast."

"I see."

Naruto could hear the svelte, subtle sound of fabrics rubbing against bare skin as Taka began to dress herself. "Well done against that iron-headed oaf," she noted, "You're very skilled and strong to be using a sword and your fire against him. You used your head, and every part of the blade to win."

"Yeah, well I had some pretty good teachers," replied Naruto, his back still turned to her, "Though you're not half-bad yourself."

"I taught myself how to fight with a sword in hand; to the point that I can wield two at a time. Though I suppose my style is more a cheap copy compared to the real thing."

Naruto perked an eyebrow as he heard that remark. "A copy?"

"Of Kaori-sensei's kenjutsu style," explained Taka, "I found out pretty quickly that the thrusting sword agreed with me very much. I studied her technique from afar, before she started mentoring you in your brutal, but versatile two-handed swordplay. You can look, by the way."

Turning to face Taka, Naruto watched her place a red pendant around her neck and tuck it under her shirt. "I guess we have something in common then, dattebayo."

"So, how is it?" Taka asked, walking with Naruto to the campground, "Learning under Kaori-sensei that is."

"She was hard, but fair," Naruto answered honestly, walking beside her, "I mean, yeah, she _does_ still threaten to burn my stuff for not listening to her. Truth be told, I believe she _would_ follow through on it. But she's never been mean to me more than she ever needed, and helped me when I really need it."

"I think I can understand why she's so invested in you," Taka noted, "As a matter of fact, it's the same reason why I want you to help me take over the capital and overthrow the Fire Daimyo."

The suddenness of the admission froze Naruto mid-stride, quickly turning his head to regard Taka with wide-eyed disbelief. The tension was broken as she giggled. "I'm just playing. My ambition isn't so petty as sitting on the Fire Daimyo's throne…it's _much_ bigger than that."

Naruto heaved a sigh of relief, chuckling nervously before continuing down the path. "You freaked me out there, dattebayo! For a minute there, I thought your 'secret ambition' was to take over Hi no Kuni or some shit like that!" As the laughter subsided, he began to regard her seriously. "Honestly though…dethroning a Daimyo? Iruka-sensei talked about someone in class that tried to do exactly that; although that was during the Sengoku Basara, about a hundred years before the Clan Wars, only _he_ wanted to take over the world. A daimyo so ruthless and ambitious, that he was called the 'Dairokuten Maō' because he _actively_ hunted down the early shinobi not on his side, and killed them all brutally."

Taka was silent, but the smile she wore promised no end of mischief. "But I _do_ believe you could help me later on down the road."

"How so?" Naruto queried.

"Spar with me when we settle down, and we'll discuss it further."

There was nothing to be said after that. Taka wore a mischievous smile on her face as she settled down for breakfast with the entire team, and their client. Sigurin was already up and cooking a wild chicken for breakfast. The bird was spit-roasted, then sprinkled with a good amount of herbs and spices for good measure before being served to everyone. Not exactly one of the things her people were known for, by her admission; but she'd promised to show off more. When it was time to leave, Team Eleven witnessed Naruto helping Sigurin suit up, his Kasai Bunshin working like an assembly line to place pieces of armor on her body in record time.

The walk down the road was fairly quiet, and rightly so; they were near the border of Takigakure. Guards were up as they readied themselves for a fight with the infamous Bakiraka clan, and the three genin surrounded the client in a protective triangle. In preparation for a potential conflict, everyone armed themselves to fight more seriously. To that end, Naruto and Taka had their swords sheathed, but ready to draw at a moment's notice; Hanabi, Sigurin, and Kaori had no need for such preparations, as their weapons were already on hand.

"Halt!" barked a voice from the trees, freezing everyone in place as a stern figure stepped out of the foliage, and onto the road. He wore quilted armor with metal plates sewn in on vital areas. His helmet looked like a teardrop, or a chestnut, and his face was obscured by a veil of chainmail. Dangling at his side was a sword with a stalk-shaped pommel and a small D-guard.

The stranger was soon joined by figures appearing out of nowhere, cutting off their escape. The team was surrounded by entourage of slim men and women wearing nothing but large headbands and capes, dyed in a light-absorbing indigo. Naruto noted that while the armored individual wore boots, his entourage was barefoot, with bandages wrapped on their ankles.

"Shinobi of Konoha, you are trespassing on Takigakure lands!" declared the apparent leader, "We of the Bakiraka clan have you surrounded! Lay down your arms and state your intentions, or we will slaughter you all!"

…

 _ **A/N: To reiterate, the primary crossover here will be Soulsborne and Naruto. Other than "Berserk," all other cameos will be minor by comparison…though I wouldn't rule out identifying the brave soul that slew the Dairokuten Maō as the original "Onimusha" himself. Though I wonder, who managed to identify the killer of both the Iwa and Kumo teams? What was the blueprint Anko just gave to Andore? Who did Siegmeyer save from Bazuso and his bandits? And what pyromancy did Naruto just showcase?**_

 _ **Also, before I forget: props to NorthSouthGorem, UnitedOsprey1991, and Soleneus for making this chapter happen.**_

…

 _ **Vocabulary**_

 _ **Cho-han—a Japanese dice game involving two dice, and a bamboo cup. The dealer, known as a 'tsubofuri' rolls the dice in the bamboo cup, and then overturns the cup onto the floor. Players all try to guess whether the sum of the dice is going to be even or odd. A tsubofuri is always shirtless so as to dispel any accusations of cheating, often displaying their tattoos. Sometimes women are tsubofuri, but that's considered an improper job for a woman.**_

…

 _ **Cameos/References**_

 _ **Andore's new piece**_ — _ **pretty much what Ilya Alekseyev did when he made the Furyan Ulaks…combined with what Tony Swatton did to make Sokka's jian.**_

 _ **Futhark—this is the script that was inscribed on every bit of titanite you'd find in "Dark Souls". There is also a large block of text written on the side of the Kirkhammer in "Bloodborne," and is found in the rest of Yharnam.**_

 _ **The process for ramen—my dad showed me to make ramen noodles this way so I could cut down on the grease…and to avoid using ramen packets.**_

 _ **The demon swordsman—those of you who follow "Berserk" should know him by description.**_

 _ **Bazuso—from "Berserk."**_

 _ **Naruto's new pyromancy—"Power Within"**_

 _ **Bakiraka clan—also from "Berserk"**_


End file.
